Page 14 - NKHR Hawaii Conference 2023

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

AMBASSADOR SHIN WHA LEE
Republic of Korea Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human
Rights

This is Lee Shin Wha. I’m the Ambassador for International Cooperation on North
Korean Human Rights of the Republic of Korea. As the South Korean Ambassador for
this issue, I’m deeply honored and pleased to be a part of this f rst-ever Conference on
Human Rights held in Hawaii.

The most pressing and critical challenges posed by North Korea are its nuclear threat
and human rights issues. T ese issues are intimately linked to the regime’s primary and
ultimate objective and that is the continuity of the Kim dynastic line. To achieve this the
North Korean regime has employed two major approaches.

First, externally. By enhancing its nuclear and missile capability in aiming for arms
reduction talks with the US rather than pursuing denuclearization. However the previous
South Korean administration and the Trump administration in the United States only
focused on denuclearization negotiations and the summit meetings with Kim Jong Un at
the expense of addressing human rights issues.

T at policy approach was not only a complete failure but also emboldened and spoiled
the North Korean regime. Additionally, the intensifying tension and competition between
the US, China and Russia have seemingly granted North Korea political impunity for
its nuclear and military adventurism. In particular, North Korean nuclear capability and
intimidation cause a direct threat and danger to the Korean Peninsula.

T e second strategy of North Korea for regime security is its internal approach to very
strong information control and employing a politics of fear using severe penalties to
suppress any operations from within.

This year marks significant anniversaries: the 75th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Conference for
Human Rights, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the European Union-led United
Nations (UN) Resolution on Human Rights in the DPRK, and the 10th anniversary of
the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the DPRK.

All those human rights abuses of North Korea—and there are so many.