This March, South Korean officials reported that about 30 North Korean defectors had been arrested by Chinese officers and repatriated back into North Korea, where human rights experts say they will be subject to either imprisonment in North Korea’s numerous political labor camps or execution. The Chinese government soon after justified their actions by reiterating that the North Korean defectors were not refugees but rather illegal economic migrants, upsetting human rights activists across the globe. In response to what seemed to be a blunt disregard for North Korean human rights, the Korean Church Coalition (KCC) united in Washington DC from July 9 to 12 in an attempt to start a grassroots movement to garner support from the US government and the American people.
The KCC, representing more than 2,500 churches across the United States, joined hands with human rights activists, North Korean defectors, and congressmen to work towards preserving human rights in the Korean peninsula. Following a prayer vigil at Lafayette Park, a march across Pennsylvania Ave facing the White House, and a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy, members gathered in front of the US Capitol for a concluding rally to attract supporters for three important pieces of legislation necessary to advance the efforts in North Korea: HR 1464 (North Korean Refugee Adoption Act), NK Human Rights Reauthorization Act, and House Resolution 109.
“I believe it is indifference to this problem that has helped it continue for so many years,” said Congressmen Ed Royce, sponsor of the North Korean Refugee Adoption Act, at the US Capitol Rally. “I want to encourage you to do everything you can to call attention to the human rights travesties that’s going on in North Korea.”
Another prominent guest present during the rally was Shin Dong-hyuk, the only defector known to have escaped from Camp 14, one of the harshest labor camps in North Korea. Shin, whose life was depicted in Blaine Harden’s recent bestselling book “Escape from Camp 14,” moved the crowd as he talked about his poignant journey out of North Korea. “Everyone, let us gather our strength together and get rid of the dictator of North Korea who is afraid of us,” said Shin, in his closing remarks. “Today the KCC event is being held is in DC, but I know that next year, this effort for North Korean freedom will be held internationally!”
The effects of the KCC’s movement at DC have made lasting impacts on America’s attitude towards North Korean human rights. As members are actively engaging with congressmen and senators to pass the three important pieces of legislation before the August recess, KCC strives towards the day when there will be freedom in North Korea.
nice job!
personally i thought you could’ve organized the article differently- starting with the most important details and going into more detail later on (ex: the last sentence of the first paragraph is what your article’s news really is, so it should’ve been first, perhaps in a separate paragraph. instead all the background info was first).
other than that it was great! g’job
hi charles:)
i think you did a great job attracting readers by witty title of the article:]
Hi Charles!
I agree with Sally. When I read the first sentence of the article, I thought you were reporting on the March incident instead of the KCC rally. Also, you can use brackets to fix a few of the grammatical mistakes the people you quoted made. I liked your selection of quotes and everything was concise.