[PRESS RELEASE] For Immediate Release & Distribution
“North Korean Human Rights Hawaii Conference 2023”]
December 5th, 2023, Honolulu, HI –
On Monday, December 4, the ‘North Korean Human Rights Hawaii Conference 2023’ was held with over 350 people in attendance (out of 410 registered) at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Starting with a video message of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent remarks given at the 21st plenary session of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), followed by welcome and congratulatory remarks given by Kwang Yong Kim, Executive Vice-Chairperson of PUAC via video; Myong Hae Kim (Annie Chan), Chair of the PUAC Global Strategy Special Committee, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea Consulate in Honolulu, the Honorable Lee Seo Young, and others including Suzanne Vares-Lum of the East West Center.
For the keynote addresses, Ambassador Lee Shin-wha gave the keynote address, followed by Ambassador Julie Turner and Dean Morse Tan.
South Korean activist and author E Jisung gave a sobering account of the reality of the human rights situation through his work with North Korean refugee rescues, followed by an on-stage interview of Mr. Lee by Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.
The third and final panel was moderated by Dr Stephen Noerper, featuring Ambassadors Lee and Turner, Dean Tan, and Col. Grant Newsham, discussing the current human rights situation and how to address the issue with perspectives offered by the panel experts, offering comments such as the importance of information dissemination into North Korea as an important tool in improving the human rights situation.
The Conference concluded with a dinner and a Certificate of Recognition presented by members of the Hawai’i State Legislature, spearheaded by Representative Sam Kong and Senator Donna Mercado Kim; Senator Mercado-Kim read and then presented the Certificate on stage to Chairperson Annie Chan, Consul-General Lee, and Ambassadors Lee and Turner and others.
The attendees were comprised of members of civil societies and think tanks, local university students from local academia, members of Indo-Pacom, the local Korean-American community, and faith communities.
The Conference was lauded as the largest-ever gathering on NKHR in over a decade and a starting point for those in Honolulu to get more involved in NK human rights.
For media inquiries and other questions regarding the Conference, please contact: 202-394-7005; or info@onekoreanetwork.com.
Video clips, additional photos, and article links will be posted and updated very soon. Thank you.
[…] many in Washington advocate for more pressure in the form of sanctions and an information offensive, history has shown that these actions do not improve human rights. Instead, they increase tensions, […]