In case you were wondering

North Korea Freedom Week, sponsored by the North Korea Freedom Coalition, a coalition of American civic groups, kicked off in Washington on Saturday.

The group staged a demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington that day in protest against the repatriation of North Korean refugees caught in China. Until May 2, it will hold events such as and international day of prayer for North Korea (April 26), a Capitol Hill rally for North Korean human rights and to save the refugees (April 29), and a press conference on the repatriation of North Korean refugees (May 1).

“Crossing,” a film on North Korean refugees that is expected to be released in South Korea in June, and “On the Border,” a Chosun Ilbo documentary, will be screened for U.S. congressmen and their assistants on April 28 and 30.

NKFC chairwoman Suzanne Scholte, the leader of the Defense Forum group, said the NKFC has invited 21 North Korean refugees who have defected to various countries including South Korea, to hear their eyewitness testimonies about the miserable reality facing North Korean refugees in China. She also urged the Chinese government to change its “inhumane” policy of infringing North Korean refugees’ rights with the approach of the Beijing Olympics.

The torch relay in South Korea went relatively well. There were only acts of stupidity when a defector tried to immolate himself and when Chinese “students” threw rocks at the other groups. But one quote from a Chinese student had me wondering,

”The Olympics are not a political issue,” said Sun Cheng, 22, a Chinese student studying the Korean language in Seoul. ”I can’t understand why the Korean activist groups are protesting human rights or other diplomatic issues.”

Look it up, brother.

Based on this Zombie Time photo account of the torch relay in San Francisco, there were a myriad of causes and somehow North Korean didn’t even crack the top 7 causes. It is somehow below anti-fur in presence. While I am glad they were not involved in the street theater, there is still a lot of work to do to spread the word.