North Korean Human Rights

Christian Whiton, Deputy Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea
Remarks to the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) Inaugural Gala
Arlington, VA
October 24, 2007

Thank you Eun for that introduction. It's a pleasure to be here and congratulations to LiNK for reaching this milestone. Your work on behalf of North Korean human rights and freedom is commendable.

Congratulations are also in order for the winners of tonight's awards: Congressman Ed Royce from Orange County, California, and author and activist Kang Cheol Hwan, who defected from North Korea. Both men are very similar in that they are committed to the expansion of freedom, especially in North Korea. However, one of the awardees left a land of repression and long winters to reach freedom. The other left a land of freedom and no winters to reach Washington, DC. No one can say the movement to expand liberty around the globe is not diverse.

I am here as a representative of Jay Lefkowitz, who is President Bush's Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea. The Special Envoy regrets that he is unable to join us tonight.

LiNK has become a prolific organization, but many of us came to know of it first as network of campus groups committed to the freedom of North Koreans. This grassroots appeal is important to the prospects of any human rights effort. Ultimately, the outcome of a human rights struggle is determined no so much by government officials speaking from podiums, but by individuals who drive action, build support for a movement, and ultimately aid those who challenge or undermine support for dictators.

Private citizens and non-governmental organizations can be instrumental when it comes to this. If you look at one of the greatest strides of freedom in the last century-the collapse of the Communist regimes of the Eastern Bloc-you see not only free governments at work, but also the hand of private citizens and organizations. There it was the AFL-CIO that played a key role in supporting Solidarity, which ultimately ended the repressive regime in Poland. Of course, many other groups and people were in the mix. Ultimately, our government and others joined the effort, but it was the non-governmental sector that led. This is not unusual. With North Korea, LiNK and organizations like it will be the ones that make a difference.

LiNK is also known for caring deeply about the plight of North Korean refugees. They are not alone. President Bush and Special Envoy Lefkowitz share this concern. Most North Korean refugees who have yet to reach freedom and safety are in hiding in China. The North Korean government created this regional problem with its repression and indifference to the suffering caused by its statist economic policies. But China prohibits the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from accessing and protecting these individuals, despite its accession to a binding refugee protocol that calls for such protections. As Special Envoy Lefkowitz has stated repeatedly, China's conduct is unacceptable and untenable as a matter of international law.

Promoting human rights means seeking humane treatment and protection for North Korean refugees. It means raising awareness of human rights abuses around the globe. It means helping uncensored news and information reach into North Korea, so the people there become empowered and know they are not alone in their struggle and aspiration for freedom.

There is undoubtedly a role for the governments of free nations in this effort, but the decisive role will be played by private citizens and groups like LiNK. We look forward to continuing to work with you. I congratulate you again on this milestone and encourage you to keep up the good work.