Transitional Justice Working Group
Seminar and Survey Report Release
■ 26 February 2019, 2.00 – 4.30pm
■ Space Raon (1F Raon Hall, TV Chosun C-Square Bldg., 40 Sejong-daero
21-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
※ Simultaneous English/Korean interpretation is provided
■ Organiser: Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)
■ Sponsor: UniKorea Foundation
*To RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/9Z57k8y83p4qwrcJ2*
*■ Seminar Description:*
This seminar will serve as the launch of the report of the Transitional
Justice Working Group’s multi-year survey project on the potential
application of a transitional justice process to deal with human rights
abuses committed in North Korea, when the opportunity arises. The report
discusses the importance of, and possibilities for the engagement of human
rights abuse victims in planning for transitional justice. It provides data
on North Korean defector experiences of violence and abuse, their
perceptions of victimhood, experiences of the enforced disappearance of
family members, as well as their opinions on the mechanisms that might best
serve individual and collective social healing for the North Korean people
in the future. The report’s findings will be used to inform civil society
planning for the incorporation of transitional justice measures into a
future process of inter-Korean unification, while ensuring the population
most affected by human rights abuses has a voice in the design and
implementation of such a process. Alongside presentation of the report by
TJWG’s Research Director, Dr. Sarah A. Son, there will be a presentation by
TJWG’s Researcher, Dr. Hyerin Yang, on her PhD research into Post-Traumatic
Growth (PTG) among North Korean adolescent defectors, recently completed at
the Yonsei University School of Social Welfare. This research provides
further important insights into the needs and characteristics of the North
Korean defectors, which should inform how civil society and government
institutions engage with this community.
*■ Moderator:*
Dr. Sung-han Kim | Dean and Professor of International Relations at the
Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Korea University
*■ Presenters:*
“Defector Perspectives on Accountability for Human Rights Abuses in North
Korea: Planning for Victim-Centred Transitional Justice”
Dr. Sarah A. Son | Research Director at TJWG and Research Professor at
Korea University Human Rights Center
“Traumatic Event Experiences and Post-traumatic Growth (PTG) among North
Korean Adolescent Refugees in South Korea”
Dr. Hyerin Yang | Researcher at TJWG
*■ Discussants:*
Dr. Kyong Hui Choi | President, South And North Development Institute (SAND)
Dr. Buhm-Suk Baek | Assistant Professor, College of International Studies,
Kyung-Hee University
Dr. Joanna Hosaniak | Deputy Director General, Citizens’ Alliance for North
Korean Human Rights (NKHR)
Download our report:
Mapping Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea:
Mass Graves, Killing Sites, and Documentary Evidence (pdf)
Press Release (pdf)
Media Coverage
Mapping the Brutality of North Korea,
and Where the Bodies Are Buried
New York Times
Where are the bodies buried in North Korea?
Investigators try to prepare for future trials.
Washington Post
N. Korean defectors show locations of mass graves using Google Earth
Ars Technica
Conference & Workshops
Conference: July 25, 2017, 9:30-5 at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Practitioner Workshop (by invitation): July 26–27, 9:30-6 at Korea University
Click here to download the conference book (pdf).
Click here to download the agenda and directions (pdf).
Facebook post.
