Yongusil 2: Cathcart and Green at EAHRNK, London on September 3rd
Two Sino-NK Analysts, One Human Rights Tragedy | On September 3, Dr. Adam Cathcart and Christopher Green will both speak on topics related to the international media as part of the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea (EAHRNK)’s inaugural forum, which is to be held at Senate House, University of London. Over one day and three different session strands, the forum will analyze North Korean human rights in the context of international human rights, discuss the importance of reporting from the perspective and experience of North Koreans themselves, and consider the question of what constitutes effective and ethically sustainable engagement with North Korea and its people.
Taking part in the media strand, Cathcart will present his findings on the subject of German and French newspaper, radio and television coverage of North Korea, while Green, who is unable to attend the event in person, will offer recorded remarks on the subject of the South Korean media before taking part in the follow-up Q&A via a live feed from Seoul. The full video of Green’s comments will be made public by Sino-NK shortly after the forum, while a truncated version will be released on the Daily NK Indiegogo crowdfunding webpage to coincide with the forum itself.
New Kid on the European Block |The organizer of the forum, EAHRNK is a new kid on the block,formed in January 2013, but one with a compelling mission statement. In a press release announcing the September 3 gathering, the group noted that since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, headlines concerning North Korea have been dominated first by the first nuclear crisis, then briefly by famine, and finally by nuclear and missile tests once again. Lurid tales of quirky events and/or the merits of the handbag sported by leader Kim Jong-un’s wife occasionally replace this dark reporting. EAHRNK believesthat this state of affairs is untenable, stops any hope for change in North Korea, and shifts the focus away from the main problem as the group sees it: the human rights crisis.
EAHRNK’s goals are to raise awareness of human rights problems in North Korea, improve international media reporting on the country, and encourage direct engagement with the North Korean population. There is a growing momentum surrounding these issues and particularly the case with the EAHRNK and Human Rights related groups such as Durham’s North Korean Human Rights group. EAHRNK’s first major step in this direction connection with this energy is to bring together some of the best and brightest thinkers on North Korea in the United Kingdom, including Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Fiona Bruce MP, Ben Rogers, and Kim Joo-il, not to mention Sino-NK’s own Cathcart and Green.
Contact Information:
EAHRNK Forum: Rethinking our Approach to Media Reporting, Human Rights, and Engagement with North Korea
Venue: University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU
Date: September 3
Time: 13:00 – 17:00
Addendum October 15 2013
Audio of this event is now available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zVNKEimtt4
Thanks for the coverage!