‘North Korea Freedom Week’ is co-organized by NGOs in South Korea as well as international community to promote the freedom and human rights of North Korean people, which is held in the last week of April.
The events of North Korea Freedom Week focus on raising awareness on dire human rights situation that North Korean people face every day, and open to the public so that anyone can join.
The 15th North Korea Freedom Week is organized by the Honorary Chairman Suzanne Scholte of North Korea Freedom Coalition, and the representatives of North Korean defector NGOs and civil society leaders cooperate to form the Organizing Committee.
The theme of the 15th North Korea Freedom Week is “Truth Will Set Them Free”, and aims to achieve following goals:
- To highlight the North Korean defectors’ actions to bring the freedom to North Korea (including balloon launch, sending PET bottles with rice)
- To save North Korean refugees in China and call for the Chinese government to stop repatriating North Korean refugees
- To introduce the education program for North Korean defector children
- To expose the ongoing human rights violation of political prison and human trafficking, and find the solution
Organization Committee:
- Honorary Chairman: Suzanne Scholte, North Korea Freedom Coalition
- Co-Chairman: Kim Tae-hoon, esq., Lawyers for HR and Unification of Korea
- Pastor Lim Chang-ho, Koshin University
- Lee Mi-il (Korean War Abductees’ Family Union)
- Park Sang-hak (Alliance of NK Defector Organizations for NKHR)
- Professor Nishioka Tsutomu (Tokyo Christian University)
Organization Co-Representative:
- Chairman: Kim Seong-min (Free North Korea Radio)
- Pastor Kang Chul-ho (Saetu Church)
- Kim Heung-kwang (NK Intellectuals’ Solidarity)
- Huh Kwang-il (Committee for the Democratization of North Korea)
- Jang Se-yul (Gyereol United)
- Choi Jeong-hun (North Korean People’s Liberation Front)
Program
Event details can be found on https://sites.google.com/view/nkfw/schedule?authuser=0
Saturday, April 28
9:00am Opening Ceremony 개막식
1:00pm Prayer Vigil 기도회
Sunday, April 29
10:00am Opening Service 예배
2:00pm Seoul Declaration for NKHR 서울선언 채택
6:00pm Prayer Vigil 기도회
Monday, April 30
7:30am Wreath Laying Ceremony 헌화
10:00am Briefing on Information Inflow (Broadcast, USB, Balloon, PET Rice Bottle)
1:00pm Visit to Free North Korea Radio
5:00pm Prayer Vigil 기도회
Tuesday, May 1
8:00am Visit to Panmunjom
2:00pm PET Bottle Campaign (Rice & USB)
6:00pm Teach North Korean Refugees Event
Wednesday, May 2
10:00am Press Conference on Repatriation
2:00pm Protest at Chinese Embassy
5:00pm Meeting to Commemorate North Korean Freedom Patriots
Thursday, May 3
Visit to Hanawon
6:00pm Meeting on North Korean Orphans
Friday, May 4
10:00am NK Defector Women: Their Stories in Literature
1:00pm Briefing on Schools for NK Defector Children
10:00pm Overnight Prayer Vigil
Saturday, May 5
Ballon Launch
Closing Dinner