This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(October 2021) |
Founded | 2006 |
---|---|
Type | NGO |
Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
Key people | Kim Tae-hun, President Kim Young-Il, Founder, Director (Seoul) Nam Bada, Secretary General |
Website | pscore |
People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) is a non-governmental organization based in Seoul, South Korea, and Washington D.C. in the United States. [1] PSCORE addresses potential barriers to Korea reunification, suggests alternatives, and works to improve the situation of North Korean defectors in South Korea and China to bridge the gap between South Korea, North Korea, and the international community. The organization is made up of North and South Korean staff, interns and volunteers from South Korea and abroad, and North Korean defectors. While PSCORE provides news coverage on North Korea and helps defectors become South Korean citizens, a unique aspect is that educational programs are offered for North Korean defectors. [2]
In October 2006, PSCORE was established by young North Korean defectors, South Korean university students, and foreigners in Korea interested in improving human rights in North Korea and the reunification of the Korean peninsula. The organization uses ‘C’ in the acronym ‘PSCORE’ to represent the pre-20th-century spelling "Corea", when the two countries were one. [1]
The organization encourages harmony and understanding between the two Koreas through educational programs, awareness campaigns, and discussion panels. [3] To address the possible obstacles to reunification of North and South Korea, the organization suggests solutions to resolve such obstacles by creating space for discussing issues related to reunification, human rights, and North Korean democratization. [1] It also seeks to fill gaps in the existent assimilation aid for North Korean defectors. [2] The organization is composed of those who share a common interest and passion for Korean reunification, human rights in North Korea, and to see North Korean defectors become self-supporting. [4]
Detailed evidence of human rights abuses in North Korea is collected through interviews with North Korean defectors living in South Korea. The data is used for written and visual depictions of the human rights crisis in North Korea to be accessible for the public. Here is a list of PSCORE's publications:
Title | Year of publication | Content |
---|---|---|
Digital rights in North Korea. The new frontier of human rights | 2021 | The report focuses on digital rights abuses by the North Korean government. With the development of new technologies, the North Korean government has tightened control on all aspects of life. North Koreans are now under constant extensive control of the government when using the Internet and individual digital devices, which is unimaginable for most people as in this new digital world the Internet has become a part of people’s daily lives. |
Guide to Communication for Social Integration Between North and South Koreans | 2019 | The report is focusing on the ways South Koreans can communicate with the rising numbers of North Korean refugees that seek asylum in the country. As the chances of meeting a North Korean are high it becomes crucial to learn and be capable of communicating with them with no problems. |
Inescapable violence. Child abuse within the North Korea | 2019 | This report deeply focuses on the omnipresent forms of abuse (physical, sexual, psychological) and neglect perpetrated on children in North Korea and how it affects their future. |
Social Integration between North and South Koreans | 2019 | The report is shedding a light on how North and South Koreans view one another and the efforts and hardships encountered by both to reach an understanding of each other. The booklet is hoped to become a small step towards making the world a happier place with North and South Koreans together. |
Cases of sexual violence against North Korean Woman and ways to improve | 2019 | The paper is a collection of testimonies by North Korean women and North Korean scholars. Report intended to uncover problems of sexual violence and how it has risen in importance as a social issue. |
Forgotten abductees: 50 years in North Korea | 2019 | Report that intends to shed light on the abduction of South Koreans and foreign nationals by the DPRK, focusing on the case of the hijacked airplane KAL YS-11 in 1969. [5] |
Violation of children's rights in North Korea | 2018 | Report about North Korea's education system, child labor and child abuse. [6] |
Forced to hate | 2018 | Report that broaches North Korea's education system, how it violates human rights and how to approach changes. [7] |
Unending oil: child labor within North Korea | 2017 | Report that focuses on the different types of arduous labor children must face within and outside the education system. [8] |
The faceless ones | 2016 | Compilation of testimonies covering a wide range of the daily life in North Korea such as school, prison camps through collective farms and military services. [9] |
PSCORE 1Oth anniversary white paper | 2016 | Paper is a review of Pscore's ten-year journey since its founding by Mr. Kim Young II in 2006. [10] |
Transnational abuse & exploitation | 2016 | Report about the violation of human rights for workers who leave North Korea to work abroad. [11] |
Human rights violations in North Korea | 2013 | Report that covers human rights abuses committed by the North Korean authorities in the territory of the Democratic People Republic of Korea over the course of the last decade. [12] |
Only the freedom to breathe | 2013 | Book that discusses the human rights violations that occur in North Korea, a nation widely known for its nuclear tests, hereditary dictatorship, and communism. It features testimonies which were obtained through direct interviews from North Korean defectors of the human rights abuses they saw and experienced before escaping to South Korea. Each case is recorded onto a Google Maps page which displays the time, location, violation type, violation organ, account of incident and offender and victim information. [13] |
North Korea | 2013 | Report about North Korea's customs and human rights violations concerning; education, food, labour, economy, media, culture, people politics as well as crime and punishment. [14] |
In 2012, PSCORE received United Nations Economic and Social Council Consultative status. Consultative status enables an NGO to submit written statements to the United Nations Human Rights Council, speak at the sessions, attend UNHRC meetings and hold parallel events in the boundaries of the UN during UNHRC sessions. [15] [16] [17] PSCORE partakes in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) organized by the Human Rights Council and cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and the Commission of Inquiry for Human Rights in North Korea. Furthermore, they participate at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, the Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee as well.
In Seoul there has been an International Youth Conference on North Korean Human Rights, and another human rights conference every April during North Korea Freedom Week. The conferences and seminars hosted by PSCORE aim to raise awareness and educate people on topics related to reunification of the Korean peninsula [18] and human rights in North Korea.
In Seoul, PSCORE supports North Korean defectors through education as a response to the North Korean situation where English is not taught or encouraged. Through one-on-one English tutoring and weekly English classes, North Korean defectors have resources and support to learn English for the educational standard in South Korea is increasingly adopting English as a requirement. Volunteers tutor also in essay writing, science, and math. Some North Korean defectors, when enrolled in college, are surprised at the amount of English required in their studies. [2] Seventy-percent of PSCORE students seek help mostly in English as it is increasingly being used in South Koreans’ daily lives and workplaces. [2] PSCORE also organizes monthly excursions for South Koreans, North Korean defectors and foreigners to meet and participate in cultural activities together.
PSCORE provides basic necessities for North Korean women defectors in China such as food, medical supplies, and warm winter clothes. Orphaned children escaping from North Korea live in constant fear of being sent back. Without any legal rights, they cannot receive citizenship and cannot receive medical attention or education. PSCORE supports such children to acquire legal status to attend school and the basic necessities of housing, clothing, and financial support. There are also safety houses run by PSCORE to protect escapees from the PRC government. These houses have food, water, and electricity and are protected locations monitored by PSCORE staff.
Through online campaigning, PSCORE has held contests for university students to creatively address the issue of democratization in North Korea. South Korean students have submitted original videos and essays reflecting their views of North Korea. [19]
In 2013, PSCORE began campaigns around Seoul to educate the public on the human rights abuses occurring within North Korea. The campaigns usually feature 20 different information boards which outline different issues. PSCORE volunteers also talk with interested people in order to give them a greater understanding of the current situation. So far campaigns have taken place at Gimpo International Airport, Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, Yongsan Station, Itaewon Station, Hongik University and Seoul National University of Education. [20]
Every 2–3 months from 2011 to 2015, PSCORE was hosting fundraising rock concerts entitled 'Rock out for a Good Cause' at Club Freebird in the Hongdae area of Seoul. The concerts featured both Korean and expat bands and have been very successful in helping PSCORE gain local recognition for its work, raise funds for various PSCORE programs and giving local talent a stage to play in front of up to 160 people. [21]
The Model United Nations Strategic framework Conference 2022 (Model UNSF) is organised by human rights advocacy group People for Successful COrean REunification. Model UNSF ultimately targets those who are currently enrolled in Universities, international organisations, institutions or companies to discuss issues surrounding North Korea in reference to the Sustainable Development Goals
Yongsan Garrison, meaning "dragon hill garrison", is an area located in the Yongsan District of central Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the headquarters for U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea, known as United States Forces Korea (USFK), and as United States Army Garrison Yongsan (USAG-Yongsan) until 2018, under the supervision of the U.S. Army's Installation Management Command Pacific Region. From 1910 to 1945 it served as headquarters for the Imperial Japanese Army in Korea.
Yongsan District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea.
Seoul Subway Line 6 is a line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The route connects Eunpyeong-gu and Jungnang-gu in a U-shaped manner, running through Yongsan-gu and Seongbuk-gu. It does not cross the Han River. It is mainly used to connect to the northern outskirts of Seoul and to relieve the traffic on other lines.
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) was established in 1994 to operate the Seoul Subway lines 5, 6, 7, 8 in Seoul, South Korea.
Itaewon is multi-cultural commercial area located in Seoul, South Korea. it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, known for its nightlife and trendy restaurants.
Haebangchon, sometimes abbreviated as HBC, is a district of Yongsan-gu, in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in central Seoul. It is also known as the neighborhood at the foot of Namsan (남산자락). The neighborhood's close proximity to Itaewon and the Yongsan Garrison US Army facility has made the area popular with expatriates and military staff. In recent years, the area has become a haven for people from a variety of English-speaking nations. The neighborhood is home to Korean residents, as well as Americans, Canadians, Filipinos, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Britons, Nigerians, Russians and Ecuadorians who have found their home in the "Freedom Village". Many businesses in HBC are foreign-owned and offer a distinct flavor not found elsewhere in Seoul.
People defect from North Korea for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. North Koreans flee to various countries, mostly South Korea and China. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers".
Itaewon is a station on Line 6 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. It takes its name from the neighborhood in which it is located in, also called Itaewon. There are many shops and restaurants for foreigners located close to Itaewon Station.
Mapo District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea.
Noksapyeong Station is a subway station on the Seoul Subway Line 6. It is located on the eastern end of the Yongsan Garrison, and the western end of Itaewon. It is the main station servicing the Haebangchon and Hoenamu-gil communities, which are known for having significant foreign populations.
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has many shopping areas and markets throughout the city. Famous ones include Myeong-dong, Cheongdam-dong, the Hongdae area, and the Dongdaemun and Namdaemun markets.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in North Korea. It is used for many offences such as grand theft, murder, rape, drug smuggling, treason, espionage, political dissidence, defection, piracy, consumption of media not approved by the government and proselytizing religious beliefs that contradict practiced Juche ideology. Owing to the secrecy of the North Korean government, working knowledge of the topic depends heavily on anonymous sources, accounts of defectors and reports by Radio Free Asia, a United States government-funded news service that operates in East Asia. The country allegedly carries out public executions, which, if true, makes North Korea one of the last four countries to still perform public executions, the other three being Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, but this has been disputed by some defector accounts.
Daily NK is an online newspaper based in Seoul, South Korea, where it reports on various aspects of North Korean society from information obtained from inside and outside of North Korea via a network of informants. North Korea is ranked 179 out of 180 in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, which is compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
The Korea Institute for National Unification is a think tank funded by the South Korean government focusing on issues related to Korean reunification.
Yongsan Dreamhub is a 28 – 31 trillion-won project that was planned to be built on the banks of the Han River near Yongsan Station at the 560,000 square metres (6,000,000 sq ft) area of the Yongsan District, central Seoul, South Korea.
North Korean studies is a sub-area of Korean studies. The number of researchers is comparatively small. The only fully dedicated institution to the study area is the University of North Korean Studies, Seoul, but many universities run undergraduate courses and postgraduate research programs.
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."
Saejowi (Korean: 새조위), also known as Saejowi Initiative for National Integration, operates in Seoul, South Korea, as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that assists North Korean defectors with settlement in South Korea. Saejowi sponsors programs that provide medical support, job training, and other educational opportunities in order to aid with defector adjustment to South Korean society. Additionally, Saejowi works to encourage civil involvement in the Korean reunification movement, especially among the defector community. The organization hosts programs that facilitate open communication between South Koreans and defectors from North Korea. It has previously worked with the Korean Ministry of Unification, Korea Hana Foundation, and the Community Chest of Korea.
Around 10:20 p.m. on 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea. According to the South Korean government, 159 people were killed and 196 others were injured. The death toll includes two people who died after the crush. The victims were mostly young adults; 27 of the victims were foreign nationals.
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