Suzanne Scholte (center), the chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, participating in one of the annual North Korea Freedom Weeks.
The 12th annual North Korea Freedom Week will be taking place from April 26 to May 2 this year, in Washington, D.C. and New York. North Korea Freedom Week (NKFW) started in 2004, and has taken place in April at Washington, D.C. each year. Since 2010, most of the activities of the NKFW took place in South Korea to spread awareness of the condition of human rights in North Korea and gather interest from South Korean citizens. This year, the NKFW will be returning to Washington, D.C.
This year's NKFW features various ways to raise awareness, including prayer meetings, debates, a press conference at the National Press Club, auctions, a visit to the UN in New York, and a Congressional Hearing.
Some 200 are expected to participate in the activities throughout the week, including North Korea defectors and members of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based on Washington, D.C. The North Korea Freedom Coalition, the non-profit that is hosting the activities throughout the week, has also partnered with eight to nine other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to increase the influence of the event.
The week will begin with a church service at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, VA, on April 26, and a wreath laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial by the North Korean Defector delegation on the same day.
Other notable activities throughout the week include a benefit concert featuring North Korean refugee musicians on April 26; Congressional hearings that will take place on April 28 and 29; a panel regarding policy recommendations hosted by the Heritage Foundation on April 28; and a protest at the PRC Embassy for North Korean refugees on May 2.
The NKFW will also feature a silent auction and dinner or the first time, to support non-profit organizations led by North Korean refugees and those who are involved in rescuing and resettling North Korean refugees.
Many NGOs and Korean organizations are also taking part in NKFW this year, including Free North Korea Radio, Defense Forum Foundation, Federation of Korean Associations, Korea Institute for National Unification, Ministry of Unification, and Yonsei Center for Human Liberty.
