INVITATION
Our 2nd Annual Symposium of the Freedom for North Korean Refugees of Minnesota (now Midwest Alliance for North Korean Refugees) was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, on October 27, 2017.
The theme was Pathways to Freedom: Let North Koreans Go and brought together speakers and panelists from South Korea and the United States to share light on the issues affecting North Korean refugees, most critically, the predicament of refugees who escape to China, where they have no diplomatic status, and are vulnerable to forced labor, human trafficking and other crime.
The theme was Pathways to Freedom: Let North Koreans Go and brought together speakers and panelists from South Korea and the United States to share light on the issues affecting North Korean refugees, most critically, the predicament of refugees who escape to China, where they have no diplomatic status, and are vulnerable to forced labor, human trafficking and other crime.
SPEAKERS
Congressman Keith Ellison
Congressman Keith Ellison represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Fifth District includes the City of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs and is one of the most vibrant and ethnically diverse districts in Minnesota.
Rep. Ellison’s guiding philosophy is based on “generosity and inclusion” and one of his priorities in Congress is advancing civil and human rights.
Congressman Keith Ellison represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Fifth District includes the City of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs and is one of the most vibrant and ethnically diverse districts in Minnesota.
Rep. Ellison’s guiding philosophy is based on “generosity and inclusion” and one of his priorities in Congress is advancing civil and human rights.
Yu mi Kwon
Yu mi Kwon is the vice president of a women’s group in support of national defense, and a member of a women veterans’ group. She founded the organization Blue Union, a non-profit organization with an interest in South Korean national security, especially against North Korea. Blue Union has an affiliate organization Lady Blue, a group of patriotic-minded women, and an internet media outlet named Blue Today. She is a former chair of National Action Network and a former leader of a group which launched balloons carrying leaflets to North Korea.
Yu mi Kwon is the vice president of a women’s group in support of national defense, and a member of a women veterans’ group. She founded the organization Blue Union, a non-profit organization with an interest in South Korean national security, especially against North Korea. Blue Union has an affiliate organization Lady Blue, a group of patriotic-minded women, and an internet media outlet named Blue Today. She is a former chair of National Action Network and a former leader of a group which launched balloons carrying leaflets to North Korea.
Jiyeon Ihn
Jiyeon Ihn is the president and founder of an organization called Now! Act for North Koreans! (NANK), a Seoul-based non-profit organization advocating for North Korean human rights. She is an attorney and a member of the Bar in Washington D.C. She is the executive director of the Lawyers Association for Liberty and Unification of Korea (LALU), a lawyers’ organization in Seoul.
She is the author of the 2015 Shout for the Sake of North Korean People’s Freedom and Human Rights! which describes the enactment of the North Korean Human Rights Act.
Jiyeon Ihn is the president and founder of an organization called Now! Act for North Koreans! (NANK), a Seoul-based non-profit organization advocating for North Korean human rights. She is an attorney and a member of the Bar in Washington D.C. She is the executive director of the Lawyers Association for Liberty and Unification of Korea (LALU), a lawyers’ organization in Seoul.
She is the author of the 2015 Shout for the Sake of North Korean People’s Freedom and Human Rights! which describes the enactment of the North Korean Human Rights Act.
Sung Min Kim
Sung Min Kim is the president of Free North Korea Radio (FNKR), founded in 2004, and is a short wave radio broadcasting station which transmits its broadcast toward North Korean areas and aims at the emancipation of North Korean people. He is a former captain of North Korean Army.
The FNKR, established by North Korean defectors, has creating programming which promotes unification of the Korean Peninsula. The organization was conferred a media prize from the Reporters without Borders, and the prize of Asian Democracy and Human Rights from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
Sung Min Kim is the president of Free North Korea Radio (FNKR), founded in 2004, and is a short wave radio broadcasting station which transmits its broadcast toward North Korean areas and aims at the emancipation of North Korean people. He is a former captain of North Korean Army.
The FNKR, established by North Korean defectors, has creating programming which promotes unification of the Korean Peninsula. The organization was conferred a media prize from the Reporters without Borders, and the prize of Asian Democracy and Human Rights from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
Su-jin Kim
Su-jin Kim defected from North Korea in August 2013. She has published several books of poetry under the titles Let Us Not Forget that the Republic of Korea is a Paradise and Flower Heart.
Su-jin Kim defected from North Korea in August 2013. She has published several books of poetry under the titles Let Us Not Forget that the Republic of Korea is a Paradise and Flower Heart.
Na-Ra Kang
Na-Ra Kang is a musician and an actress. She performs on the famous Korean TV show called Now On My Way to Meet You on which many North Korean defectors have been making an appearance. She has performed as an actress in a movie called The Secret of Wind Sing. She defected from North Korea in 2014 and after a month, she entered ROK (Republic of Korea) where she now lives. She majored in Voice at Art High School in Chungjin, North Korea and was majoring in Music at Myungji University.
Na-Ra Kang is a musician and an actress. She performs on the famous Korean TV show called Now On My Way to Meet You on which many North Korean defectors have been making an appearance. She has performed as an actress in a movie called The Secret of Wind Sing. She defected from North Korea in 2014 and after a month, she entered ROK (Republic of Korea) where she now lives. She majored in Voice at Art High School in Chungjin, North Korea and was majoring in Music at Myungji University.
Senator Sandy Pappas
In 1984, Sen. Pappas was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and in 1990 was elected to the Minnesota State Senate. She was elected by her Senate colleagues in 2013 to preside as President of the Senate and continues in that role.
Throughout her legislative career, Senator Pappas has been a fervent advocate for human rights. She has fought tirelessly for women, children, workers, refugees, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups. Over the years, she has passed legislation to prohibit sex trafficking and to provide various services to victims.
In 1984, Sen. Pappas was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and in 1990 was elected to the Minnesota State Senate. She was elected by her Senate colleagues in 2013 to preside as President of the Senate and continues in that role.
Throughout her legislative career, Senator Pappas has been a fervent advocate for human rights. She has fought tirelessly for women, children, workers, refugees, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups. Over the years, she has passed legislation to prohibit sex trafficking and to provide various services to victims.
Dean Eric Schwartz
was the Dean of the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2016. Prior to his appointment at the University, Schwartz served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, the principal humanitarian position in the Department of State. He has also served at the United Nations, as the UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery after the Asian tsunami of 2004, and at the White House, as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs during the Clinton Administration.
was the Dean of the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2016. Prior to his appointment at the University, Schwartz served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, the principal humanitarian position in the Department of State. He has also served at the United Nations, as the UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery after the Asian tsunami of 2004, and at the White House, as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs during the Clinton Administration.
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