My little trip to the International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights (part one)

(Here is my first-hand account of part of the International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights, which was held at the Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies last Saturday.

The symposium was sponsored by Liberation in North Korea (LiNK) and Korea Youth United.

Read it and you will figure out why I would never make it as a journalist.  You can also check out this OhMyNews piece on the event.)

The big banner in the front hall tells who got the ball rolling for this thing.

When I heard that there was going to be a symposium on North Korean human rights at Yonsei University in Seoul, I decided that I had to go.  When I found out that it started at 9:30, I decided that I had to go there late.  After all, Yonsei is a 90 minute subway right from my home and Saturday is the only day that I can sleep in.

I finally dragged myself out of bed and up to the symposium by about 11:00.  When I got there, I found three distinguished speakers in a small auditorium talking to about 90 people.

Being linguistically challenged (as the Marmot once lovingly called me) I didn't get that much out of the morning session since it was all in Korean.  To my country ears, it basically went something like this...

Blah blah blah North Korea and blah blah blah blah blah blah.  Korea and North Korea blah blah blah if blah blah blah Koreans blah blah blah.  In North Korea blah blah blah blah.  Blah blah blah blah international....

Luckily, the kids in charge got the simultaneous translation up and running for the last few minutes of the presentation.   Unfortunately, the speed of the talking during the Q & A period (along with the extensive use of looooooong, multi-claused sentences) often overwhelmed their translation efforts.  That's too bad because it was a good Q & A. 

I've seen long-winded academics using 'questions' (with tons of 'whereas' and 'given that') to drive home their pet rhetorical points, but the questioners at that presentation were real pros.  The first guy rambled off such long and laboriously worded questions that the translators quickly gave up trying to type even a basic summary of what he was saying.  For added effect, he earnestly rattled some papers he was hold whenever he made (to his mind) a strong point.

The next guy was even better.  I knew exactly what he was saying because he went down to the front of the room, took a mike and stated his 'question' in English and Korean.  When the panelists did not answer to his satisfaction, he went down and asked another 'question.'  Here is a brief summary: 

South Korea should not pressure North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons program.  Japan has tons of nuclear material, so Korea (it was pretty clear that he was referring to the North and the South collectively here) should not abandoned its quest for nuclear weapons.

That brought the normally mild-mannered moderator (LiNK's Adrian Hong) down to give his own thoughts on comparing the the Norks to a real government.  In short, he didn't think there was one.

The afternoon session was going to have six participants, so I figured that it would be twice the fun.  I wasn't disappointed.  More on that tomorrow.

Comments

[Dave C.]

Was any mention made of the recent Chinese troop movements along the border or the photos of Dear Leader going missing in N. Korea? What's your take on the recent rumors?

[usinkorea]

I saw a panel discussion in the US on US-SK relations, and the North was the primary source of discussion, and these were all profs in the US but born and raised in South Korea with the exception of one white American and one Russian.

Every one of them were of the opinion the US should do what South Korea wanted ---- engage in direct talks with North Korea "before its too late" and cut a deal. They were clearly more interesting in the deal being cut and the US promising aid than they were about "real verification measures" which they seemed to mention in passing.

The exception was the Russian. He said he grew up in a harsh regime and he understood the mentality - especially since NK was much worse than the Russia of his day. He also had some interesting stories about meeting NK scholars in Russia.

His idea was the US should "bomb them now and take out the regime." He said many NK's would die, but more would surely die otherwise.

I don't go that far. Yes. More NK will die. But, I don't think it is in the US best interests (yet) to take the North out with war.

In the Q&A phase, all the questions were in full support of "Bush bad" and Bush as the bigger problem than the North's nukes, except one prof who did a good job of getting in a debate with the panel, and three other grad students (white Americans) who stood up for the US perspective.

[me]

(NOTE: Yangban edit for language)

I was there as well, and one comment that I believe should be made in light of your post is that the professor that you mention, the one that made his statements in both English and Korean, DIDN'T SAY THE SAME THING IN EACH LANGUAGE!

After speaking with Adrian afterwards, I grasped that this was his main reason for invading the panel and answering that self righteous prick that thought he could pull one over on the crowd. His basis for the entire splay was that, in English, Clinton had a plan for attacking NK nuclear facilities. His Korean interpretation, 공격하려고 했다고, translates into decided to attack.

Such dishonest propoganda rhetoric has no place in a symposium, and for some conceited (punk) to think he knows so much more than the rest of us that he will conveniently translate in order to make everyone happy is abhorent

[The Bobster]

I find "Me"'s comments quite interesting, but part of me wonders if the differing translations could be indicative of a lack of sufficient English ability on the part of the speaker? If not, then I agree with the conclusion you've reached : abhorent might be somewhat mild, in fact.

[American]

Bobster may have a point... Ive been to NK-oriented events where the Korean translator blatantly does not say in English what was said in Korean, and sometimes even translating things into weird distasteful phrases. One time I heard:

"Kim Jong-il should commit a righteous suicide!!!" passionately shouted by the translater. The speaker said no such thing.

Sometimes I think theyre under the pressure to say something in translation and they dont know how to translate it to english, so they throw in their own comment.