Religious Freedom and Human Rights in North Korea (Korea Insights #4)

Global Peace Foundation
May 7, 2020

Global Peace Foundation works with our distinguished partners around the world to support the reunification of the Korean peninsula. We believe that peace and prosperity within the Korean peninsula and East Asia are not secured by unification alone, but will be equally determined by the vision of what kind of nation a new unified Korea will become for the world. On such a basis, our primary mission is to provide a vision that could not only move the global community to work toward Korean unification but also to suggest a framework so a new unified Korea can become a positive ally in development and peace for the global society.

The Korea Insight series invites experts and activists to discuss the current critical issues surrounding Korea and Korean unification.

In this interview, we welcome Kenneth Bae and Sandra Fahy. Kenneth Bae is a Christian missionary and the founder of the Nehemiah Global Initiative. He is also known for his experience as a captive in North Korea. Sandra Fahy is an associate professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. She has written two books on human rights issues in North Korea.

Timestamps:

3:38 Are religious freedom and human rights separate things? How do they connect?
4:44 How is religious freedom a fundamental human right?
8:28 First-hand experience of religious persecution in North Korea
15:42 What is the situation of human rights and religious freedom in Korea today?
17:00 The Songbun class system in North Korea discriminates based on political loyalty and religious beliefs
19:45 Entire families could be arrested for one member’s religious beliefs in North Korea.
22:41 “Dying for Rights: Putting North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses on the Record,” by Sandra Fahy
24:45 What does life look like in a nation like North Korea without human rights?
34:06 What can be done to improve the human rights situation in North Korea?
40:31 Is the U.S. State Department’s approach to North Korea effective?
42:25 What are some ideas that were brought up at the experts’ roundtable on how to approach the human rights issue in North Korea?
46:07 How does one get North Korea to do something?
48.28 Why is reunification relevant?
49:48 How can I help?  Rev. Kenneth Bae’s perspective and work to help North Koreans
55:57 Get informed: Outlets to hear from North Koreans and stay up to date on the human rights situation

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