Dear Friends:
On September 14, we made history as One Korea Network (OKN) presented for the first time ever, a play about the North Korean human rights issue and the plight of North Korean refugees in China in the US Congress with the presentation of the play, “Sell Me: I Am From North Korea” written and performed by Sora Baek.
Over 80 people from all walks of life – Congressional staffers, graduate students from local universities, members of various DC-area think tanks and NGOs, members of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, North Korean defectors, representatives from North Korean defector & human rights organizations, and attendees from the United Kingdom, Canada, and other states – attended this powerful play performed at the Congressional Visitor Center (CVC).
Hosted by the Office of Congresswoman Carol Miller (W.VA-01) and co- resented with six other organizations, the performance came at a crucial time for North Korean refugees in China, as news reports are reporting that estimated hundreds – and up to thousands – of North Korean refugees detained during the pandemic are facing impending repatriation to North Korea (and some reports are indicating that this has already occurred).
Due to the urgency and severity of this issue and the lives at stake, OKN worked with the actress, Ms. Baek, and the office of Rep. Miller to bring this play to Congress as quickly as possible. OKN is working with Rep. Miller’s office and other members of Congress to highlight this issue and to pressure the Chinese government to stop its cruel, inhuman repatriation policy of North Korean refugees. As such, OKN has already started its weekly protests in front of the Chinese Embassy to call on the CCP to stop its repatriation policy and will be introducing a new program in the fall to further highlight and promote the issue of North Korean human rights – PLEASE STAY TUNED!
The play performance concluded with a Q&A session moderated by noted human rights activist Kristina Olney, with a short video presentation by Hyeonseo Lee, and then a conversation with Sora Baek and the audience. The tremendous response and interest from the audience – to the performance and acting by Sora, as well as the urgency and importance of the issue – has been overwhelming and we are so grateful to ALL who made this performance event a great success.
OKN WILL be bringing back the play “Sell Me: I Am From North Korea” to Washington DC early next year for a proper premiere at a theater venue, so we look forward to seeing you all soon.
A big THANK YOU to ALL of you who came out to watch the play, and thank you for your support! SAVE NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES!
Henry Song
Director,
One Korea Network
