GPF International President James P. Flynn
As global attention increasingly focuses on security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, leaders, policymakers, and North Korean escapees gathered in Washington, D.C., during the 23rd North Korea Freedom Week to emphasize that the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be separated from the human rights crisis facing the North Korean people.
Speaking at the International Forum on One Korea: Capitol Policy Forum, held on April 29, 2026, at the Cannon House Office Building, participants stressed that oppression and isolation within North Korea are directly tied to the regime’s ability to sustain its nuclear ambitions. The forum called for a renewed policy approach that advances freedom, human dignity, and lasting peace together, rather than treating security and human rights as separate issues.
The discussions highlighted the importance of empowering North Koreans through access to information and supporting escapees whose testimonies continue to expose the realities of life under the regime. Escapees shared deeply personal stories of starvation, forced labor, and the transformative impact of learning about the outside world through radio broadcasts and media.
Speakers, including Reverend Kenneth Bae, founder and president of New Korea Foundation International and New Korea Hope Broadcasting, and Ambassador Robert Joseph, former Under Secretary of State, emphasized that external information serves not simply as a political strategy but as a pathway to awakening hope and understanding freedom among the North Korean people. Participants repeatedly stressed that genuine change in North Korea must emerge from within its society.
The forum also reinforced the growing international vision for a free and unified Korea rooted in shared values, human dignity, and peaceful nation-building. Global Peace Foundation International President James P. Flynn described the division of the Korean Peninsula as one of the world’s most unresolved challenges since World War II and called for unification efforts centered on freedom rather than political absorption.
Discover more on how global leaders and North Korean escapees are advancing a bold vision for freedom and reunification in Korea: The Korea Times
Read more coverage on the growing global call for freedom, human rights, and reunification on the Korean Peninsula from Asia Today and Christianity Daily.
