Trilateral Cooperation for Freedom in North Korea and Human Rights Upfront Strategy

Dr. Chan-il Ahn is President of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, Chair Professor Emeritus of Open Cyber University of Korea, Senior Advisor of Ministry of National Defense, and Member of National Unification Advisory Council. He was born in Uiju North Korea, then he defected to South Korea in 1979. He earned a PhD at Konkuk University in politics. MA at Korea University Graduate School, graduated college of Political Science and Diplomacy at Korea University.

Mr. Jong-chun Park is Secretary General of the Action for Korea United, an alliance of over 1,000 Korean civic groups in Korea since 2012. He was formerly a member of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Youth Commission for the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. In addition, he also serves as Secretary General for ONE K Global Campaign Committee to garner global support for Korean unification through K-pop. He holds a master degree in NGO studies from Kyung-Hee University, Seoul.

Col. (R) David Maxwell a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation and at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Vice President at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy. He is the editor of the Small Wars Journal. He is a 30-year veteran of the US Army retiring in 2011 as a Special Forces Colonel with his final assignment serving on the military faculty teaching national security strategy at the National War College.  He has spent more than 30 years in Asia with 3 years on the Korean DMZ and served on the United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command / United States Forces Korea UCJ3 staff where he was a planner for OPLAN 5027 and co-author of the original CONPLAN 5029 (North Korean Instability and Collapse) and later served as the Director of Plans, Policy, and Strategy (J5) and the Chief of Staff for Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR). He is a fellow at the Institute of Corean-American Studies (ICAS) and on the Board of Advisors for Spirit of America. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the International Council of Korean Studies (ICKS), the Small Wars Journal, and the OSS Society. He teaches a graduate course, “Unconventional Warfare and Special Operations for Policy Makers and Strategists”.

Ambassador Morse Hyung-Myung Tan is Dean of School of Law at Liberty University and served as the first Asian-American Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice in U.S. history. He has published extensive law review articles on North Korea and published the book North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement. He previously held Visiting Scholar positions at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and the University of Texas. The Korean-American Society of Chicago honored him as Korean-American of the Year and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs selected him as an Emerging Leader. His media and speaking engagements regarding the DPRK have included the National Law Journal, Reuters, Associated Press (AP), UPI, WGN+, Voice of America, the U.S. State Department Distinguished Lecture Series, and Cornell Law School.

Mr. Hyun-seung Lee is Fellow at Global Peace Foundation. He escaped North Korea when he was 29 years old. He engaged in trade and economic relations between China and North Korea through his managerial role in a business entity under the DPRK regime. He graduated from China Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, where he was the chairman of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, Dalian China branch. After completing his military service in 2005 with the rank of Sergeant, he was granted membership in the Korean Workers Party. A series of brutal purges by Kim Jong Un forced him and his entire family to defect in late 2014. He regularly makes his appearance on the Korean media including Voice of America (VOA), and Radio Free Asia (RFA). Hyunseung is a Fellow on North Korean Studies at the Global Peace Foundation, and has been engaged with several NGOs in consulting roles. He studies Master of Public Administration in Global Leadership at Columbia University.

Ms. Sora Lee is the Committee Chair of the Botonamu-Street Renewal Project and Shin-BotonamuKai. She is the Secretary General of KOREA OF ALL (모두 모이자).  Born in North Korea, Ms. Lee graduated from the Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at a University in North Korea.  In 2008, she defected from North Korea with two children under 10 years old.   Tragically, her husband was arrested by the National Security Agency (he lives in North Korea now). After arriving in Japan, Ms. Lee studied Law at Hosei University.  She then became a founding member of the NGO, KOREA OF ALL.  In 2014 she submitted an application to the Japan Bar Association for relief law of the 93,000 Korean Japanese who were repatriated into North Korea.  In December 2022, she submitted documents to the Korean Government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, ROK regarding the human rights issues of the repatriated Korean Japanese.

Mr. Masaki Ikeda is President of the Classmate Association of Megumi Yokota. He was born in Niigata City, Japan in 1964. His middle school classmate Megumi Yokota was abducted by a North Korea agent at the age of 13 in 1977.  Just 15 minutes before she was abducted, they were practicing badminton in the next court. Mr. Ikeda committed to continuing rescue activities until the day Megumi returns home.

Mr. Cheol-hwang Kang is the President of North Korea Strategy Center, Co-President of Action for Korea United. He is the first defector who informed the international society about the cruel reality of concentration camps in North Korea. As a child, he was imprisoned in the Yodok camp for 10 years. He published “The Aquariums of Pyongyang”, and worked as a writer specialized in North Korean affairs at The Chosun Ilbo for 10 years. He has sent thousands of USBs, DVDs and radios into North Korea. He runs Pyongyang 24 O’clock (평양24시) YouTube broadcast.

Cheol Lim, Esq. is an accomplished legal professional dedicated to human rights and public interest. He graduated from Korea University with a Law degree in August 2013 and continued his studies at Seoul National University Law School, earning his degree in February 2018. In April 2022, he successfully passed the Korean Bar Exam, establishing himself as a qualified attorney. Cheol has actively contributed to various organizations and initiatives throughout his career. He co-founded the Korea University North Korean Human Rights Club, Libertas, in April 2011. He also served as a youth manager at the North Korea Strategy Center, a non-governmental organization focusing on North Korean affairs, in February 2012. Cheol’s commitment to law is demonstrated through his professional experiences. He participated in the Unification Law Research Course at the Unification Legal Affairs Division of the Ministry of Justice in June 2015. He interned at the National Human Rights Commission in June 2016. Currently, he works as an attorney at Jeon Law Firm, starting in April 2022. Additionally, he holds the position of Attorney at SNU Law Public Interest & Legal Clinic Center, beginning in August 2022. Cheol’s expertise and dedication make him a valuable advocate for justice and the well-being of society.

Mr. Inteck Seo is the President of Global Peace Foundation Korea and co-Chair of Action for Korea United, a coalition of over 800 NGOs committed to building a grassroots movement to support Korean reunification. Mr. Seo has been involved with the Global Peace Foundation in many of its ground-breaking initiatives to advance awareness and advocacy for Korean reunification and overseas development work. He was instrumental in the launch of the All-Lights Village Project that uses solar powered lanterns to spark community development by setting the grounds of improved literacy, healthy, economic activity and safety.