On May 2, the fourth installment of NK net’s Human Rights lecture series featured Kim Sang-heon, the founder and current chairman of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB). Kim has been involved with the North Korean human rights movement in South Korea from the very beginning. Drawing from his many years of experience working on the issue, he shared his thoughts on developing effective human rights advocacy strategies and the current status of the movement in South Korea.

On the issue of contemporary North Korean human rights issues in South Korea, Kim said that the majority of South Koreans “are in a deep sleep.” He pointed to the lack of South Korean support for present day democratic struggles in Burma and Tibet, saying that “if South Koreans were awake,” there would be “thousands fighting to help in Burma” because South Korea “experienced a similar situation.”