Friday, February 23, 2007

North Korea tests the fiber of South Korean commitment to democracy

As an active advocate of the plight of North Koreans, Tim Peters recently participated in a rally in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul, protesting China’s continued repatriation of North Korean refugees.

He was interviewed by a reporter for Free North Korea Radio, a basic English translation being:

The founder of Helping Hands Korea, Tim Peters, has devoted his Christian NGO’s work to assisting North Koreans in crisis for the past 8-9 years. He joined others today in publicly condemning the Chinese forced repatriation of North Korean POW’s, including family members.

“Recent news of South Korean abductees (who’d been held captive inside North Korea for 32 years) as well as the families of POW’s from the Korean War being given the cold shoulder by South Korean diplomatic compounds in China when they pled for assistance while in hiding in China, is almost inconceivable”, Peters said.

“To think that the POW’s had fought for South Korea 50 years ago, and now their spouses, children and even grandchildren are unable to get help from the South Korean consulate in Shenyang, China absolutely boggles the mind”, Peters commented.

In the NGO leader’s opinion, China is currently testing the fiber of South Korean commitment to its democratic principles to measure just how much especially young Koreans treasure these freedoms that their parents and grandparents died for.

“If today’s low turnout by young people for the rally is any indication, the future may be jeopardy for Koreans’ freedoms….”

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