[THE CHOSUN Daily] Seoul Hosts First World North Korean Rights Convention in 20 Years > 언론보도

• 목록

By  Kim Min-seo
2025.10.21.

Global defectors call for camp dissolution, info rights under 'Let Them Be Free' theme

The 2025 Seoul World Convention on North Korean Human Rights will be held in Seoul from the 22nd to the 24th. Co-hosted by the NGO Council for North Korean Human Rights (NCNKHR) and the U.S. Human Rights Foundation (HRF), this event marks the first international-scale North Korean human rights gathering in Seoul in 20 years since 2005. Under the theme “Let Them Be Free,” the conference will feature diverse programs including an international forum, concert, exhibition, and contest.


Organized solely through the sponsorship of private civil society groups without government-level support, the event will bring together North Korean defectors residing in 30 countries worldwide. They plan to shed light on human rights violations against North Korean residents by disclosing information about political prison camp detainees and enforced disappearances. Defector representatives from the U.S., Japan, Canada, UK, Ukraine, Netherlands, Germany, and France are scheduled to present the “Joint Declaration of the Diaspora Defectors for North Korea’s Freedom and Human Rights Liberation” during the third session, the “100-Minute Great Debate,” on the 23rd. The declaration will call for the dissolution of political prison camps, prohibition of forced repatriation, and guarantee of North Korean residents' right to access information.

From the 23rd to the 24th, themed exhibition booths—including the North Korean Internal Human Rights Violations Pavilion, History and International Pavilion, Defection and Rescue Pavilion, and Human Rights and Memorial Pavilion—will operate at Seoul City Hall Plaza. Special exhibits will include a handwritten copy of the Bible written on paper made by grinding corn stalks by an underground Christian in North Korea, as well as actual photographs and drawings depicting the defection process of the Jang Gil-su family.

All participants are scheduled to sign the “Seoul Consensus” on the 23rd. The consensus pledges to “act so that North Korean residents no longer live as isolated slaves, place the voices of defectors and victims at the center, and strengthen international solidarity.”

Detailed schedules for the event can be found on the NCNKHR’s website (www.ncnkhr.org).