North Korea Rally

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

[As prepared for delivery]

Thank you to all of you who have traveled from near and far to be here today to stand together in solidarity with the people of North Korea who are suffering so terribly at the hands of a cruel tyrant. 

It is a great honor to be here today with our friends who defected from North Korea.  You are our heroes.

I have had the privilege of meeting with a number of North Korean defectors over the years and I consider it an honor to be working with the courageous North Korean people who dare to hope that they can bring freedom and prosperity to their people and nation

As the writer of Hebrew says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are suffering as if you yourselves were suffering.”

The stories I have heard about the North Korean Government’s treatment of their prisoners are shocking – who would ever think there would be so many ways to torture, starve, and oppress a people? 

Kim Jong Il orders his officials  to use torture, forced abortion, starvation, and death to ensure that he remains in control.

Many North Koreans try to flee to China to escape their painful and difficult lives in their own country.

Why do the North Koreans dare, even at the risk of being arrested, beaten, terribly tortured, and even killed, to cross the border into China?  One does not have to look too hard to find the answers.  China appears to be a paradise compared North Korea. 

Tragically, many of those who have escaped are caught and sent back to North Korea where they endure further horrific torture at the hands of the government. 

Officials commit infanticide on babies who are conceived or born in China to North Korean mothers as the officials want to keep their race “pure.”

There are reports of North Korean women forced into marriage upon their return to their country.

One report details other kinds of suffering.  North Korean women who escaped to China and who dyed their hair or wore earrings, “would undergo painful punishment after they came back to North Korea.  Their heads are pounded against the wall and their earrings are wrenched out with pliers.  The same treatment is given to women who wore eye makeup.  Even after having gone through all of this the women would still run away after release from the labor rehabilitation center. … Those I’ve seen return from China … from those labor rehabilitation centers are hard to recognize; their looks are changed from beating, starving, and forced labor.”

Sadly, North Korean women who stay in China often end up in forced marriages with Chinese men or are trafficked and sold as wives, sex slaves, or into forced labor.

A recent article in the Washington Post detailed how North Korean women are trafficked.  One woman told of how “with few provisions, she made her way to a safe house described by a friend in North Korea.  Rather than offering her shelter, however, the owners of the house presented her to a middle-age Chinese farmer for inspection.  He gave her the once-over, examining her face and slim body before going off into a corner to haggle over price for her as a concubine.  The woman, who had already suffered years of beatings by her husband, said she fled in panic, seeking refuge in the home of a nearby Chinese couple.  They later sold her into a humiliating and violent life inside a hostess bar, where women pay to be entertained by women.” (Post, 3/3/04)

The woman also added “If you are a North Korean woman crossing the border, it's almost impossible to survive without being abused or sold. It happens to almost all of us, because they know we are vulnerable.”

The Post article continued the story: 

“Lee, 24, another North Korean refugee who agreed to speak on condition that only her surname be used, was deported to North Korea in 1998 after being caught by Chinese authorities on the border. ‘I was sent to a prison camp and raped daily … Every day, the same guard raped me.  I still see his face.  No matter how I try, I cannot forget it.  Many of the women died of the abuse.  The guards would then take their used clothes and barter them in town.’”

This woman reportedly escaped to China again – she was then caught by “Chinese gangsters who sold her into a brutal life of prostitution.”

The man who is ultimately responsible for all this suffering believes he is god – he has a rude awakening coming!

However, there are others who bear responsibility for the continued suffering of the North Korean people. 

The Chinese government allows North Korean agents to come into China and find the North Koreans – that is tragic. 

Even more tragic is the fact that despite Chinese Government claims to be a member of the international community, it fails to uphold its international agreements it signed regarding refugees. 

By sending North Korean refugees back to North Korea to certain torture and death, the Chinese Government is supporting oppression of the people.

China should realize that North Korea as it is undermines not only the people of North Korea, but undermines China.  A stable, free, prosperous, peaceful North Korea will help not only the North Korean people but also the people and nation of China.  

The international community also bears responsibility for the suffering of the North Korean people.  We know what is going on – there are enough credible reports consistently coming from the region to thoroughly substantiate the numerous stories of suffering.  Yet … by our silence and lack of action we allow the suffering to continue.

We are here today to say ENOUGH!

The suffering of the North Korean people must stop.

And the governments of the world must follow the example of the courageous, compassionate NGOs working to help the North Koreans.