CanKor Megaphone: Meet Seongmin Lee, HanVoice’s First Pioneer!

IN THE INTEREST OF FULL DISCLOSURE: As many of you may know, I have been involved with North Korean human rights issues with an organization called HanVoice (www.hanvoice.ca), which I helped found in 2007. Since then, HanVoice has grown into the largest non-profit in Canada dedicated to North Korean human rights issues.

When it comes to North Korean refugees, one of the key areas of need that we have identified is leadership. This is especially true for the North Korean community in South Korea, where most of these refugees ultimately settle. Despite more than a fifteen year presence within South Korea, very few North Koreans have emerged as leaders of their own community.

With a first-of-its-kind program designed to address these challenges, HanVoice is pleased to announce the launch of the HanVoice Pioneers Project. Inviting a bright future leader to Canada, this program is designed to impart upon this candidate the tools necessary to speak on behalf of the North Korean refugee community worldwide. This will include not only learning English, but taking advocacy classes and “walking the halls of power” by interning at a Member of Parliament’s office.

North Koreans in Toronto: The NGO Predicament

It is no secret for anyone living in Toronto that persons of North Korean descent are living in Canada, and that most of them end up settling in Toronto. Also, for anyone who has devoted any effort to North Korean issues in Toronto, it is obvious after only a bit of time that most, if not all of them, have spent some considerable time in South Korea. You don’t have to notice that the first thing that many North Koreans do is obtain a smartphone, or that they stop needing your assistance after two weeks in Canada, or that the clothing they choose to wear is remarkably South Korean. Some will simply openly tell you that they came from South Korea and chose to live in Toronto.

Unfortunately, that is not the story they tell the Canadian immigration authorities. Doing so would spell doom to a refugee claim, which all North Koreans lodge upon entering the country. Rather, the typical North Korean refugee claim starts in North Korea and goes straight through China to Canada, omitting the South Korean leg of the journey. This is for obvious reason. Being honest and upfront about coming through a country that welcomes North Korean refugees with lavish subsidies would lead to an outright dismissal of their refugee claim.

There is a further wrinkle now that a lie has been told: the laws surrounding misrepresentation. If found to have misrepresented themselves to the government under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the claimant would then find themselves unable to enter Canada for two years, with legislation now in the House of Commons that would expand that period to five.

Although I have written in the past how the Canadian government should respond to this issue, what has been neglected is how civil society should cope with this recent phenomenon. How should non-governmental organizations that deal with North Korea specifically respond to the North Koreans arriving on our shores?

North Korean defectors resettle, raise awareness in Canada

By Kyle Burton, Yonhap News Agency,  29 January 2012

Hundreds of years after European migrants traveled to North America seeking refuge and opportunity, groups of North Korean defectors have begun to resettle in Canada, with many calling the city of Toronto their new home.

Heo Tae-seop, a North Korean defector who settled in Toronto last year. (Courtesy of Kyle Burton)

Canada accepted 83 North Korean refugees in 2011, double the number of the previous year.

Heo Tae-seop is a North Korean defector who has been living in Toronto since May. For people like Heo, the consequences of attempting an escape can be severe. Those caught are repatriated and reportedly receive severe punishment. Some lucky individuals manage to sneak through the border and into China, while others navigate the harsh ocean waters to South Korea. Then, there are those who make the journey to North America where an entirely new life awaits.

“People who have just defected from North Korea do not know about democracy because they have been closed off from the world for so long,” said Heo. “For example, I am 48 years old, but in Canada I feel like I am a 1-year-old baby because I don’t know anything about Toronto or this country.”

Public Event in Toronto: North Korea — New Leadership, New Hope?

HanVoice is very excited to announce that it will be hosting a Panel Discussion focusing on the legacy of Kim Jong-Il and the future of North Korea post-Kim Jong Il.

The event will provide unique perspectives from local MP Barry Devolin; HanVoice’s Executive Director, Randall Baran-Chong; CanKor columnist, Jack Kim; a member of the North Korean refugee community; and a representative from Canada’s academic community. The discussion aims to act as a platform from which the creation of new dialogue, initiatives and ideas can be shared and exchanged by viewpoints from key stakeholders, including policymakers, members of the press, academics, members of the human rights community, and the public.

The Government of Canada Speaks (Just A Little, For Now)

Han Voice Chair Randall Baran-Chong and MP Barry Devolin

Two inter-related events quietly happened this past week.

The first event took place in Ottawa last Thursday, as the inaugural John Diefenbaker Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award was awarded to the Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (or “NKHR”). This achievement, the brainchild of an up-and-coming DFAIT staffer, was given by none other than Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon.

The second event took place in Toronto last Saturday. An open forum was co-hosted by HanVoice, the Citizens Alliance, as well as the Toronto Korean consulate at the University of Toronto. As part of the event, several speakers, including Benjamin Yoon (chairman of NKHR), the South Korean consul general, and Member of Parliament Barry Devolin gave some opening remarks. These opening addresses were followed by a short panel discussion by Chris Kim and Sydney Choi of HanVoice, Pam Shime from the Global Advocacy & Leadership Institute, Suk Woo Kim from NKHR, and Ashley Eom from NKHR. The panelists spoke about wide-and-varied topics, including possible private sponsorship and education programs for North Korean refugees, the potential for the issue of children (and especially stateless children) as a possible wedge issue regarding human rights advocacy, food aid, and the rampant sexual trafficking of female North Korean refugees in China.

Visions for the Future of the North Korean Human Rights Movement

HanVoice and the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and Refugees present: “Visions for the Future of the North Korean Human Rights Movement”, a forward-looking discussion and call to action to governments, activists, and all Canadians.

Opening with a welcoming speech from Consul General Ji-In Hong, the event will lead with a keynote speech delivered by Reverend Yoon, Chairman of the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and Refugees, one of Korea’s leading NGOs on the issue.

Transcript of Canadian Parliamentary Hearing on North Korean Human Rights

Parliament Hill, Image via Wikipedia

In the last issue of CanKor Report (#333) we asked a number of questions regarding a hearing on North Korean human rights held on Canada’s Parliament Hill on the 1st and 3rd February by the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. These are the questions we puzzled over:

• Who came up with the idea of this hearing?
• Who chose the two “witnesses” that appeared in this hearing?
• Why was not a single Canadian asked to present a brief or act as a witness?
• Why were Canadian NGOs and academics with a track record of dealing with the DPRK excluded from participating?
• Why was the largest Canadian organization dealing with North Korean human rights and refugees (HanVoice) not even invited to attend?
• Were the dates chosen to send a message to the DPRK on the 10th anniversary of our diplomatic relations?