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A three-day international conference on human rights in North Korea started at Seoul's Shilla Hotel on Thursday with about 50 human rights activists and representatives from 40 rights organizations in attendance. Titled Seoul Summit: Promoting Human Rights in North Korea, the conference got officially underway at noon and attendees criticized the South Korean government for being meek in addressing the issue and appealed for international efforts to ease the suffering of North Koreans from forced labor, starvation and concentration camps.
Suzanne Scholte of the Defense Forum Foundation and North Korea Freedom Coalition, in her keynote address claimed one of the reasons that North Korea has remained a nation of slaves to Kim Jong-il is the lack of action by the administration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.
Kim Sung-min, a defector and chairman of Free North Korea Broadcasting, also criticized Seoul for turning a blind eye to North Korea¡¯s human rights condition, calling it a ¡°tacit agreement¡± with the Kim Jong-il regime.
Ryu Geun-il, a former chief editorial writer of the Chosun Ilbo, said, ¡°We have to fight not only Kim Jong-il but also the false logic to justify North Korea's human rights abuses.¡± He also warned of a reckless pro-Pyongyang attitude he said was widespread in the South.
Elizabeth Batha, a human rights lawyer with the U.K.¡¯s Christian Solidarity Worldwide, expressed disappointment that Seoul did not take the lead in passing an EU-sponsored UN resolution condemning the North¡¯s abuses last month but abstained instead. Batha said the resolution allowed the international community to take stronger action on North Korea¡¯s rights abuses.
Hwang Jang-yeop, a former North Korean Workers¡¯ Party secretary and advisor for the organizing committee of the conference said, ¡°The human rights issue should be on all mankind¡¯s conscience; it is the dividing line between democracy and anti-democracy, patriotism and treason, progress and retrogression.¡± He called on the world ¡°to come forward and protect the human rights of the people of North Korea.¡±
The Conference will adopt a statement on Friday calling on Pyongyang to improve human rights conditions, and will continue to discuss strategies until Saturday.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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