An eye witness account of North Korean Freedom Day

About two weeks ago, I posted about the then upcoming North Korea Freedom Day and asked if anyone who goes to it would kindly send me an account.

Well, Neil Chisholm sent me one. It is apparently a copy of an email that Jennifer Jun, the leader of the University of Pennsylvania chapter of LiNK (Liberation in North Korea), had sent to LiNK members last week.

I also stole a couple of Jennifer's pics of the event (Jennifer, if you read this I hope you don't mind).

Here it goes:

AMAZING.

Yesterday, thirteen students from Penn left at 5am for Washington DC to attend a national rally supporting the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004.

About 300 people from all over the world (mostly US,Canada, and South Korea) together marched from Raoul Wallenberg Field to US Capitol Hill with hundreds of signs and banners bearing the suffering of the North Korean people. Once there, we heard from activists such as Senator Brownback (sponsor for the bill), Suzanne Sholtze (president of NK Freedom Coalition), Soon Ok Lee (NK defector), etc. About 120 LiNK members from various campuses made their presence known at the rally, from sitting in a makeshift fence to symbolize the NK concentration camps to sporting the black LiNK tshirts and buttons.

On the steps of the Capital in Washington

Afterwards, everyone divided up into groups to lobby various congressmen (most of whom were not in their offices unfortunately). The day concluded with the presentation of "Seoul Train" by its producers and Reverend Chun Ki Won (aka "Robinhood").

Thanks to many of you, we collected about 500 signatures for the petition in favor of NKHR Act. I met with Senator Brownback while lobbying with a delegation of NK defectors and Korean-American elders and handed it to him, by which he was very impressed and encouraged. He'd like to convey his sincere gratitude to the students at Penn for fighting for the good cause. Also, Congressman Anthony Weiner from New York (10th district) was extremely impressed that a three-week old student group could mobilize like this overnight and wished us the best of luck.

LiNK member Jennifer Jun with Senator Sam Brownback.

I cannot speak for everyone, but personally, this experience deepened my passion for human rights in North Korea. To meet face to face with many defectors, to plead with congressmen, and to talk to various NGO leaders instilled tremendous hope that this movement is moving powerfully and surely. We already have international supprt (a group of Israelis who support LiNK protested yesterday at the South Korean Embassy in Israel for action against concentration camps in NK).

Lastly, thank you to those of you who didn't attend the rally, but were with us in spirit. Keep the passion alive!!! LiNK next semester is gonna explode as we bring defectors like Soon Ok Lee, film producer Jim Butterworth, activist Edward Logan, the Reverend Chun Ki Won, etc. I cannot sleep at night these days thinking about how Penn is going to play a central role in campus activism, thanks to YOU.

There are photos on www.xanga.com/funjun and www.xanga.com/linkorea.

This brings back memories of my own days of student activism. The folks at LiNK seem to be doing a pretty good job for a group that is only a few weeks old.

I think that Gyopo (overseas ethnic Koreans) might have to take the lead on North Korea because Koreans are burring their heads in the sand with regards to what the Pyongyang ruling clique is like. The Korean Student Association (KSA) at George Washington University was about half Korean and half Gyopo when I was a student there. If other KSA groups are the same composition, then Gyopo members have a chance to help lift the haze that has come over the eyes of young Koreans and let them know the reality about that brutal regime.

Comments

[adrian]

more pics on www.xanga.com/linkorea (updated) and www.xanga.com/tkd

[Spartacus]

Celebrating North Korean Freedom is a great idea.

After all, NK is the only part of Korea which is NOT under foreign military occupation. Consequently, it's the only part of Korea which enjoys freedom.

Let's hope it stays that way.

Spartacus.

[Sugar Shin]

I don't support the naive political agenda of the LiNK.

But for guys like you, Spartacus: you know the fate of your historical namesake? And He had a real moral edge above his Roman masters.

[American]

Hey Sugar Shin, I am the guy who gave that picture. I am actually IN that picture.

If you think trying to kick up a fuss about North Korean human rights is naive... Well I think your 300,000 ethnic brothers dying in political prison camps would disagree. Some brother you are...

Spartacus had a moral edge over his masters? I suppose his moral edge was most keenly apparent when he turned back from crossing the Alps and proceeded to loot and pillage the Italian countyside? He rejected freedom because he (and his men) loved fighting. I call that barbarism.

[SugarSpam]

Sugar is an abouve average Korean. He hates the USA like the rest of Koreans but he just plays sly little games always trying to cloud the real issues. in the end his comments are always the same. Anti-American Pro NK and Korean nationalism.

However, just to be fair he usually says things like "he is against NK genocide" for example. I wish guys like him would get kicked out of what ever nation they are polluting and sent back to NK so they can live in paradice.