Open Radio for North Korea representative Kang Shin Sam: “commitment is the requisite in the selection of activists.”
On July 20, 2012, Kim Young Hwan, a researcher at Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, and 3 other human rights activists for North Korea returned home after 114 days of detainment in China. They were arrested for ‘harming national security’ while conducting various activities intended to bring about change in North Korean society. The activities include educating North Koreans who come to North Korean-Chinese border cities before sending them back. Their movement is still ongoing regardless of the hardships they encountered during detainment. Celebrating the second anniversary of their safe return, ‘Dailian’ explores the hardships and difficulties they encountered in their activities and listens to their future visions of changes for North Korean society.
A small room in a Chinese city on the border with North Korea. There is a satellite television and a DVD player installed in the room, and it is filled with DVDs of South Korean dramas and movies, books, and bibles. A South Korean dressed in shabby clothing sits face to face with a North Korean ‘studying hard.’ Topics of their conversations vary from the bible, liberal democracy, and culture.
“The main mission of the North Korea human rights activists in China is educating North Koreans and sending them back to their country. The activists put a lot of efforts to enlightening North Koreans, risking threats and financial difficulties.”
Kang Shin Sam (44), a representative of Open Radio for North Korea who met with Dailian at his office on July 18, was arrested by the Chinese police for his activities. The first thing mentioned by the man with a heavy responsibility in the democratization movement for North Korea in China was the difficulties activists face in the land.
Representative Kang said, “two years ago, the system that activists have established suddenly collapsed. We have continued to work on this regardless of the financial crisis and threats against our lives, and its collapse brings us the feeling of hopelessness rather than anger towards the Chinese police and government and North Korea.
The main mission of North Korea human rights activists in China is “educating North Koreans.”
North Korea human rights activists in China have to evade both the threats from the State Security Department of North Korea and the search for activists by the Chinese police. Providing education to North Koreans and eluding authorities at the same time is not easy.
This is why activists and North Koreans maintain a single-track system (one activist for one North Korean). Activists also disguise themselves by growing their hair and wearing glasses. It is not easy for them to settle down in one place for they frequently move to other safe houses.
The first thing Representative Kang heard from the Chinese police was, “you have to be grateful for not getting caught by the North Korean State Security Department. You never know what kind of cruelties you would have gone through if they had caught you.”
He said, “I worked in Dandong, a place with a high number of agents from South Korea, China and North Korea. The biggest challenge was how to guarantee our safety and maintain security. As I was trained during the time of Revolutionary Organization, I was already used to it. “
Representative Kang was a member of ‘National Liberation,’ a group that believed in Kim Il Sung’s Juche ideology.
Even when they were threatened, they went on to educate North Koreans in China. They selected North Koreans who were to receive education, and provided safe houses in which the education was to take place.
The process of selecting North Koreans who came to China was not easy. First they had to be intellectual enough to awaken people’s consciousness. Secondly, they have to contact other North Koreans frequently.
It was especially difficult to find North Koreans who were committed to changing North Korean society. Representative Kang explained that people with purposes other than pure commitment always cause trouble.
Educating the selected North Koreans is even more difficult. Once they enter the ‘study room’ which was arranged to guarantee security from the Chinese police or North Korea, they are not allowed to leave for a month.
To prevent stress, activists pacify them with things that may arouse curiosity like a satellite television, CD player, and South Korean books.
Representative Kang said, “North Koreans get a month of education. A full-scale education is provided to those whose features are verified.”
“We bring them out to eat Chinese skewered mutton from time to time or provide them with various kinds of entertainment like satellite television or books,” he added.
Representative Kang explained, “We provided North Koreans a lot of education using a bible. A bible is a useful tool that naturally spreads the value of democracy like freedom, human rights and equality.”
The biggest challenge among the activists is ‘money.’
Financial problems are another obstacle facing activists.
It is not easy to cover the expenses needed for their work on their own. There are activists who are responsible for arranging the necessary funds, but they always struggle from a lack of money.
“A certain amount of money is to be paid to the North Koreans who receive education. The amount of the payment should be more or at least equal to the amount the person can earn. We sometimes use a smuggling vessel to send things like North Korean USBs, and in that case a lot of funds are needed, including the cost for using a vessel and a secret route,” Representative Kang said. He added, “My acquaintances in Dandong used to ask me why South Koreans give such a small amount of money to them. There were a lot of projects we had to give up due to a lack of resources.”
A second act in life begins. Kang says, “Reform through radio broadcast.”
Representative Kang entered a second act in life as a North Korean human rights activist after being deported from China permanently. His latest goal is to reform and educate North Koreans through radio broadcast. He is trying to secure a clear AM medium wave frequency.
In order to come up with the necessary funds, he has founded the ‘100 people’s Unification Broadcast Club’ with Radio Free Chosun (Representative Lee Kwang Baek) and is leading sponsorship among well-known persons in various fields. Currently, Park Se Il, a standing advisor of the Hansun Foundation and a member of Preparatory Committee for Unification, Yoo Ho Yeol, a professor at Korea University, and Kim Jae Chang, president of US-ROK National Security Research Committee, are among the members of the club.
Representative Kang said, “The members of the club shall give a minimum of 30,000 won (about $30) and these people will recruit 10 other people to participate with a monthly donation of 10,000 won (about$10). It costs 10,000 won per minute to produce a broadcast program and transmit it to North Korea. If these people participate and pay 10,000 won every month, it will be a great help in awakening North Koreans.”
