Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It has offices in Long Beach, California, United States, and Seoul, South Korea. The organization rescues refugees hiding in China and resettles them in South Korea or the United States, so that they can avoid being forcibly repatriated back to North Korea, where they can face harsh punishments. The refugees first travel from China to Southeast Asia through what the organization calls an "Underground Railroad", and then on to South Korea where they are recognized as refugees.
The human rights record of North Korea has been condemned, with the United Nations and groups such as Human Rights Watch all critical of it. Amnesty International considers North Korea to have no contemporary parallel with respect to violations of liberty.
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, abbreviated as Chongryon or Chōsen Sōren, is one of two main organisations for Zainichi Koreans, the other being Mindan. It has close ties to North Korea and functions as North Korea's de facto embassy in Japan, as there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries. The organisation is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and there are prefectural and regional head offices and branches throughout Japan.
People defect from North Korea for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. North Koreans flee to various countries, mostly South Korea. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers".
Signed into U.S. law by President George W. Bush on October 18, 2004, the North Korean Human Rights Act was intended to promote human rights and freedom of North Korean refugees by:
- Providing humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside North Korea;
- Providing grants to private, non-profit organizations to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea;
- Increasing the availability of information inside North Korea;
- Providing humanitarian or legal assistance to North Koreans who have fled North Korea.
Advancement Unification Party or AUP formerly known as Liberty Forward Party was a conservative political party in South Korea. This party was created by Lee Hoi Chang, the presidential candidate who lost 2007 presidential elections. On 12 February 2008, the party merged with the People First Party, which got 18 seats in the 2008 Parliamentary election, making it the third-largest party in the National Assembly. The party was absorbed by Saenuri Party on 16 November 2012.
Reverend Phillip Jun Buck is a Korean-American Christian missionary for Assemblies of God Korean District and an advocate for human rights in North Korea. In 2007, he won the Civil Courage Prize for his work on behalf of North Korean refugees.
Robert Park is a Korean-American missionary, musician, and human rights activist. A peace advocate and supporter of Korean reunification, he is a founding member of the nonpartisan Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea and a frequent columnist for South Korea's largest English newspaper, The Korea Herald. In December 2009 he was detained in North Korea for illegal entry after crossing the Sino-Korean border on Christmas Day to protest against the country's human rights situation. He was released in February 2010 after being detained for 43 days. He reported having suffered torture during his detention.
Kaechon Internment Camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners and descendants of alleged criminals. The official name for the camp is Kwan-li-so No. 14. The camp is commonly known as Camp 14. It is not to be confused with the Kaechon concentration camp, which is located 20 km (12 mi) to the northwest. Nearest train station is the Oedong station of the Taegon Line.
Suki Kim is a Korean American journalist and writer. She is the author of two books: the award-winning novel The Interpreter and a book of investigative journalism, Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea's Elite. Kim is the only writer ever to have lived undercover in North Korea to conduct immersive journalism. Kim is currently a contributing editor at The New Republic.
The International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) was formed on September 8, 2011. It comprises Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights and has support from over 40 organizations worldwide. North Korean human rights issues with which the ICNK deals include North Korea’s political prison camp system and the repatriation and punishment of North Korean refugees.
Kim Han-sol is the eldest son of Kim Jong-nam and a grandson of the former North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il. His father was the unofficial heir apparent until 2001, when he fell out of favor with the regime after a failed attempt to secretly visit Tokyo Disneyland in May 2001.
The Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees, commonly known as Hanawon, is a South Korean facility for the "training for social adaptation" of North Korean defectors, preparing them for life in the South. Three months' stay in this facility is mandatory for all North Koreans arriving in the south, with residents unable to leave of their own free will.
The China–North Korea border is an international border separating China and North Korea, extending from Korea Bay in the west to a tripoint with Russia in the east. The total length of the border is 1,352 kilometers (840 mi). The current border was created by two secret treaties signed between China and North Korea in 1962 and 1964.
Hannah Song is the president and CEO of US nonprofit Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), which raises awareness of the human-rights situation in North Korea and provides resettlement support to North Korean refugees.
The Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights is a registered NGO based in Seoul, South Korea. The organization conducts research on and raises public awareness about North Korea, human rights in North Korea, and Korean unification. It also engages in movement building activities and has helped launch other organizations, most notably the Daily NK. Their stated goal is to "help bring about democracy and respect for human rights in North Korea."
Free Joseon (Korean: 자유조선), formerly known as Cheollima Civil Defense and formally styled as The Provisional Government of Free Joseon, is a North Korean activist group and self-proclaimed "government in exile" established on 4 March 2017. It has been noted for protecting the family of Kim Jong-nam following his assassination in Malaysia. It is also known to support North Korean defectors. On 1 March 2019, "Cheollima Civil Defense" was renamed to "Free Joseon", which is also the proposed name for North Korea if it "overthrows its current government". Similar to the Fighters for a Free North Korea, the group is considered as a North Korean democracy movement.
On 22 February 2019 at the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain, the political group Free Joseon, which is opposed to the incumbent Kim Jong Un regime of North Korea, is alleged by Spanish and American authorities to have attacked and raided the embassy, while the group maintains that they were invited in to facilitate a high-level defection. A group of individuals stole mobile telephones, two USB flash drives and a hard drive from the embassy and handed them to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States. The event took place after the Singapore summit between North Korea (DPRK) and the United States and prior to the approach of the Hanoi summit. As of early April 2019, one person had been arrested in connection with the incident and two international arrest warrants had been issued by the Spanish Audiencia Nacional. The suspected perpetrators are citizens of Mexico, the US and South Korea, although the latter two governments denied any connection with the incident.
The Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Beijing is the diplomatic mission of North Korea to China. It is located in Chaoyang, Beijing. In addition to its embassy in Beijing, North Korea also has consulates in Dandong, Shenyang and Hong Kong. It is one of the largest embassies of North Korea and has dormitories, North Korean grocery shops, a currency exchange, an eyeglasses store, and a fruit and vegetable shop. The current ambassador is Ri Ryong-nam.
The Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Madrid was the diplomatic mission of North Korea to Spain. In February 2001, Spain and North Korea established diplomatic relations. In 2003, plans to open a diplomatic mission were halted due to North Korea's withdrawal from Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. On 1 October 2013, Kim Hyok-chol became the first DPRK ambassador in Spain when his country opened its new embassy in Madrid. In September 2017, he was expelled as a persona non grata in response to a North Korean nuclear test. On February 22, 2019, the Free Joseon political group allegedly broke into the embassy and stole several digital devices. As of 2019, Yun Suk-so remained the highest ranking diplomatic official, with the title of Commercial Attaché. The Embassy was closed on 1 November 2023.
