MACON/ATLANTA – Mercer University will welcome world-renowned North Korean human rights advocate Ji Seong-ho to present a series of lectures on the theme of “North Korea from the Other Side,” Feb. 26-27, in Macon and Atlanta.
Ji's first lecture, titled “North Korea through My Eyes,” will take place Sunday, 7-8 p.m., in the Presidents Dining Room inside the University Center on the Macon campus.
His second lecture, titled “My People, My Calling,” will take place Monday, 10-11 a.m., in Connell Student Center Conference Room I on the Macon campus.
He will present “My People, My Calling” again on Monday, 7-8 p.m., in Day Auditorium on the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta.
All lectures are free and open to the public.
The North Korean people live in a country that has resisted change for over 70 years, a country ruled by a family of leaders, a country full of suffering. Even now, there are concentration camps for political criminals and public executions of residents who do not subscribe to state-endorsed ideologies or behaviors. The regime is shrouded in secrecy, leaving the world unable to know the full extent of the human rights violations carried out every day.
In 2006, Ji traveled 6,000 miles across China, Thailand, Laos and Taiwan to escape North Korea. He has since become one of the most vocal critics of the Kim family regime and a leading advocate for the rights of North Korean defectors.
He is the founder and president of Now, Action and Unity for Human Rights (NAUH), a nonprofit organization established in April 2010 in Seoul, South Korea, to support human rights activities and unification of young adults of South Korea, North Korea and the world. NAUH is one of several groups helping to disseminate information into North Korea through the use of pirate radio and balloon drops.
“This event will offer an opportunity for our students, as well as our community, to learn more about human rights violations happening every day in North Korea,” said Dr. Sinjae Hyun, professor of biomedical engineering and director of Mercer's engineering research program. “Without defectors from North Korea, like Ji Seong-ho, no one would know the seriousness of the human rights violations taking place there. His tireless efforts to advocate for North Koreans both raise the level of our attention to this issue and press the North to make progress toward human rights for its people.”
Ji's visit to Mercer is co-sponsored by the University, Mercer On Mission, NAUH and the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta.
