A commemorative day for North Korean defectors will be a message of
hope for a free and prosperous future for North Korean residents
Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho meets with defector groups to
discuss the designation of a commemorative day for North Korean
defectors (January 29)
On January 29, Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho invited twelve
leaders of civic organizations, including leaders of defector groups,
to gather their opinions on the designation of a commemorative day for
North Korean defectors.
* Attendees: Kim Seong Min (Free North Korea Radio), Kim Heung Kwang
(North Korea Intellectual Solidarity), Kim Hee Yeon (World Defective
Women’s Support Association), Noh Hyun Kyung (The Federation of North
Korean Industries), Seo Jae Pyeong (Association of the North Korean
Defectors), Ahn Chan-il (World Institute for North Korea Studies), Won
Song Keum (Federation of Groups for North Korean Defectors), Jang
Se-yul (North Korean People’s Liberation Front), Huh Kwang-il
(Committee for Democratization of North Korea), Kim Suk-woo (Citizens
Alliance for North Korean Human Rights), Park Sunyoung (Mulmangcho),
and Lee Jae Won (Lawyers for human rights and unification of Korea).
Minister Kim stressed that the success of North Korean defectors is
a touchstone for our society’s capacity for unification, and a message
of hope for a free and prosperous future for North Korean residents.
Furthermore, the minister mentioned that designating a commemorative
day for North Korean defectors will also have significant implications
for North Korean residents, and said the day should be a day for the
North Korean defectors, by the North Korean defectors, and of the
North Korean defectors.
In response, Kim Heung Kwang, the head of the North Korea
Intellectual Solidarity, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the
attendees to President Yoon Suk Yeol and the government for their
efforts to designate a commemorative day for North Korean defectors.
He further stated his commitment to contributing to the integration
and prosperity of Korean society and strengthening the unification
capacity through various social activities.
