NKnet researcher, Kim Young Hwan, was awarded the Order of Merit from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on December 10th. Mr. Kim received the award on the 64th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Mr. Kim said at the ceremony that, I am very grateful to my colleagues with whom I work on North Korean human rights activism, and I wish to share this honor with them. I also wish to thank my family that has supported me through psychological pain and various other difficulties. It is the second time that a North Korean human rights activist has received the Order of Merit.
Mr. Kim dedicated his award to North Koreans saying that, I would also like to pass this honor on to those North Korean people who are suffering execution or imprisonment in political prison camps.