JFNK Raise Consciousness in Seoul
Over at OhMyNews, an account of JFNK’s 444 day demonstration
They’re setting up at the far end of Insadong, a short jog from Changgyeonggung Palace even with the heavy lungs an August in Seoul, South Korea, can conjure up. It’s a small group armed with costumes, ropes, mock-up automatic weapons, placards and a purpose. “No Olympics in Beijing Without Human Rights for North Koreans” — written on two separate poster boards, one in Korean, the other in English. In fact, most of the banners are bilingual. It reflects the backgrounds of the group’s participants, though more so perhaps the idea that this isn’t just a domestic problem.
The event is organized by Justice for North Korea (JFNK) with the aim of protesting the repatriation of North Korean refugees by Chinese authorities. Given the forthcoming Beijing Olympics though, and the spirit of brotherhood that it implies, more than a few of the concerned detect an added hypocrisy in the air. They see it as even more reason to spread the message. So for yet another Saturday, JFNK’s international coordinator is playing dual roles as both activist and actor to get the point across: “Right now, as you know, Korean people are not really aware of the serious situation in North Korea especially the North Korean human rights violations. So what we are hoping is that what we are doing will at least make a small difference to raise the public awareness.”
The most remarkable thing about this protest that intrigued this reporter? The fact that its the most non-violent demonstration he has encountered. No wonder most Koreans don’t notice.
