The human rights situation in North Korea will be discussed in London this week at a two-day conference organised with the help of a leading Cambridge University academic.
The human rights situation in North Korea will be discussed in London this week at a two-day conference organised with the help of a leading Cambridge University academic.
Dr John Swenson-Wright, an expert from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, has helped to co-ordinate the 8th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees which starts today.
His involvement in the event coincides with the University's developing interest in the region. From September 2008 the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies will be able to offer teaching in Modern Korean Studies.
Later this year Dr Swenson-Wright will host the biennial British Association of Korean Studies conference at Clare College in September.
This week's event at Chatham House, where Doctor Swenson-Wright is Associate Fellow in the Asia Programme, hopes to raise the profile of human rights issues in North Korea alongside on-going discussions regarding security in the area.
Many questions have been raised about the country's human rights record. Defectors from North Korea have alleged the existence of detention camps holding up to 200,000 inmates where cases of torture, medical experimentation and forced labour are common.
The talks also aim to create greater awareness on the situation among politicians, journalists and NGOs (non-governmental organisations). Organisers hope to develop balanced policies of how to deal with the issues while maintaining the ability to work with the regime in North Korea.
Attending are many experts in the region and the field of human rights. Guests include Jim Hoare the former UK ambassador to North Korea and Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Norwegian Prime Minister and President of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights.
The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge have received funding for a research and teaching fellowship in Modern Korean Studies. Supplied by the Korea Foundation, the funding for five years will eventually lead to a permanent post attached to the Faculty.
The event is organised in association with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights of Norway, the Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, Korea University, and Chatham House.
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