“Kim Jong Il's inhumane crimes are a global disgrace, not only of one country or one nation. We living in the 21th century have to hold the North Korea regime accountable for its abuses of human rights so that we create a better mankind,” the South Korean former President Kim Young Sam asserted.
Kim Young Sam offered his video message at the Inaugural Conference of the ICNK saying that, “Kim Jong Il's dictatorial regime still dominates the Northern part of the Korean Peninsula and has turned it into a huge prison.”
He emphasized that united action and effort could bring change to North Korea and to mankind while making a personal commitment that his newly founded organization would assist in any way it could.
In addition, Hyun Byung Chul, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea also pointed out that, “North Korean authorities have tightened their control over North Korean citizens whilst advancing the third generation succession of Kim Jung Eun.”
Claiming that, “it will be necessary to provide reliable data about human rights violations” he asserted that, “The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has established the North Korean Human Rights Violations Center and Human Rights Depository to research and keep information on violations.”
He went on, “We will share the results of this effort and it will be a valuable store of data to help improve North Korean human rights situation.”
The Floor Leader of the ruling Grand National Party, Hwang Woo Yea, explained, “over 20,000 North Korean defectors reside in South Korea. Most of them have suffered from several kinds of physical and mental trauma caused by abuses in prisons of North Korea. In particular, they are affected by the after-effects such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, nightmares, insomnia and so on.”
Floor Leader Hwang also stressed, “In North Korea, repatriated defectors can expect indiscriminate torture, forced abortion for pregnant women, and forced labor,” and raised his voice adamantly saying that, “We should not be silent over these Crimes against Humanity.”
