North Korea Human Rights Challenges: What Lawyers Can Do
Date: Jun 18, 2025 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $143.00
Non-Member Price: $179.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: For All Attorneys, Individual Rights, International Law & Organizations
Earn up to 2.4 credits! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
- Hana Jeong Pak, Esq.
- Hill Wallack LLP
Presenters
- Jack Kim, Esq.
- Fragomen, Toronto
- Hyun-Seung (Arthur) Lee
- Jeong-Ho Roh
- Senior Research Scholar in the Faculty of Law; Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School
- Kris Song
- Associate Director of Programs, Liberty in North Korea
Presented in cooperation with the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ) and the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY)
According to Human Rights Watch, the Democratic Republic of North Korea (DPRK) is one of the most repressive countries in the world. A United Nations Commission of Inquiry report found that the government committed systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations that constitute crimes against humanity. Ruled by third-generation totalitarian leader Kim Jong Un, the government maintains fearful obedience by using threats of torture, executions, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, and forced labor. It systematically denies basic liberties, including freedom of expression, association, and religion. It does not tolerate pluralism, and it bans independent media, civil society organizations, and trade unions.
North Korea is often in the news due to Kim's threats to use nuclear weapons against the United States and other democratic countries. These stories, while important, relegate vital stories about the plight of North Korean citizens to the backburner. The lack of information about the real living conditions of North Koreans contributes to the dire circumstances under which the population exists.
This program aims to bridge that gap by exploring the harsh realities of the North Korean people and will provide an opportunity to discuss the tragic socioeconomic circumstances facing its population and the North Korean refugee crisis.
Our panel of North Korea experts will provide insight into the history of the country's sociopolitical structure that still contributes to the human rights crisis and what is being done across various legal and advocacy mechanisms internationally and in the U.S./Canada to advocate for the rights of North Korean escapees. It will include suggestions about what concerned lawyers can do to help the North Korean people.
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