Events
International Human Rights Day
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
14:00 - 16:00
Canada House
Trafalgar Square, London SW1Y 5BJ
The High Commission of Canada hosts a conversation with Jihyun Park and Seh-lynn Chai, co-authors of The Hard Road Out: One Woman's Escape from North Korea.
North Korea Beyond Nukes: Focusing on the Human Rights Challenge
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
French Institute of International Relations
Very grateful to Ifri - Institut français des relations internationales and AMBASSADE DE LA REPUBLIQUE DE COREE EN FRANCE for organising "North Korea Beyond Nukes: focusing on the human rights challenge" conference, where I was a guest speaker, along with Professor Arnaud Leveau and Ji Hyun Park_박지현.
Thoughts provoking discussions around the role of Europe in this turbulent time, and what it can do, in concrete terms, to bring DPRK back to the negotiation table.
Thank you H.E. Ambassador Moon Seong-hyun of AMBASSADE DE LA REPUBLIQUE DE COREE EN FRANCE , Director Marc Julienne, Madame la Présidente Françoise Nicolas and Ms. Céline Pajon at Ifri - Institut français des relations internationales for co-hosting this timely and meaningful event
Full recording on: https://youtu.be/nRAHcjKX6cQ
Yonhap news: 탈북민 박지현씨 "러 파병 북한군 포로 北송환 막아야" | 연합뉴스
European Parliament, NATO and CEPS
Friday, November 22, 2024
Brussels
I had the honor to speak at the European Parliament, NATO and CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) in Brussels last week.
In this particularly disorientaing time, exacerbated by North Korean soldiers at the border of Europe, I spoke about why we should care about North Korea Human Rights, what Europe can do in concrete terms given its special status outside of the framework of the US or the UN or South Korea and why they should want to help.
Deux Coréennes/ The Hard Road Out now proudly belongs to the NATO Library collection as well as the EU Parliament collection. Thank you H.E. Ambassdor Ryu Jeonghyun of the Republic of Korea to Belgium, MEP Cesar Luena Chair of the Delegation for Relations with Korea of European Parliament, thank you Ms. Eirini Lemos-Maniati Head of NATO Arms Control for moderating my booktalk, thank you H.E. Olof Skoog EU special Representative for Human Rights and Ms. Marija Ppejcinovic Buric, Council of Europe for their intervention at CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies)
WOW Book festival
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Two women's voice shaped by respectively, the Vietnam war and the Korean war : Canadian-Vietnamese author @Kimthuylythanh and myself addressed the question of how the memory shapes an identity.
A war transmitted by my parents in my case and revived by my encounter with @ji_p4rk, a war lived at 10 years old in Kim's case.
In both cases, I think we know a door opened to the past is absolutely necessary for our present way of living, our relationship to the world.
Thank you @wowculturelab festival of Seoul for hosting us and making us dig into this fascinating topic.
Event at Private Theatre
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
On September 24th, 1982, China joined the UN Refugee Convention. Why is it that 42 years later today, it keeps sending the North Korean refugees back to North Korea? Our thoughts were with them while I was delivering a book talk and showing the documentary on Jihyun Park The Other Interview at a private movie theatre. In the audience were ladies from The Soviet Union, India, Korea, Belgium, the US and Cambodia, taking to heart one of the questions I addressed: "Is our way of thinking the ONLY way?" Thank you, Stacey Ciauri, for your sponsorship, the fascinating company, fabulous Korean food and a wonderful venue.
American Women's Club of London
Thursday, September 19, 2024
American Women's Club of London
Presentation of The Hard Road Out at the American Women's Club of London, around the theme of trust: how do I speak to my "enemy"? The funds raised through the ticket sales will benefit "Connect: North Korea", a charity based in New Malden in the UK, towards the education and mental health of North Korean Refugee graduate students worldwide. We are grateful to the American Women's Club in London, especially Susan S Shindler, Abigail Kienbaum and Kristin Cross for hosting the event.
Book World Prague 2024
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Prague Exhibition Grounds (Výstaviště Praha)
Thank you @pragueworldbook, @65.pole, co-panellist Jaromir Chlada Koreanista, @korean_embassy_in_czech and Ambassador @youngki.hong, for having me on May 25, 2024 to present "Muj zivot v zeverni koreji", Czech translation of 가려진 세계를 넘어/ The Hard Road Out/ Deux Coréennes. Your relentless support for human rights gave me the courage to stand in front of the Czech crowd yesterday. On a hot Saturday afternoon, booth 65.pole, was filled with 300 or so people (majority young women) with sparkle in their eyes, revealing their curiosity and thirst to learn about a part of the world they knew nothing about: the 2 Koreas. "Your book helps me understand better the history of the Czech Republic" "What role does the US play in South Korea?" A wide range of questions was asked and I shared with the audience that it took me 5 years to build trust, create a dialogue without hatred, and write a book...and that I was finally able to formulate the following: deep down, we all share the same fear, of one side getting rid of the other.
Book talk at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UK
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
South Korean Embassy in London
60 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AJ
I had the honour of sharing a panel at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UK with Professor Sung-Yoon Lee , on the occasion of the publication of his book "The sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World".
Among the panellists, Ji Hyun Park- 박지현 my co-author, two other North Korean escapee Kyuri Kim and Timothy Cho, offered their heart wrenching testimonies.
According to Professor Lee (currently Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington DC), with 49% of the population under starvation, North Korea is the 4th most starving country in the world, despite its very high literacy and industrialisation. He talked about "deliberate starvation", a severe human rights crime, that left nobody indifferent in the audience.
Students also reacted to my comments about addressing human rights in a non-political way (for example via literature) as it diffuses a somewhat intimidating concept into a story that can reach the reader in a deep and lasting way.
Seminar: Ukraine Reconstruction & North Korean Human Rights
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Czech Republic
Celebration of Human Rights Day
Monday, December 11, 2023
Fairmont Hotel
Seoul, Korea
On the occasion of the 75th Universal Declaration of Human Rights, working breakfast in Seoul with Ambassdor Yvan Jancarek of the Republic of Czech and Ambassador Philippe Bertoux from France.
