Reinvigorating Global Engagement on Human Rights in North Korea: The 2025 NK Insider Forum
Seoul, Korea (Oct. 29, 2025) – Last week on October 22, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the NGO Council for North Korean Human Rights hosted the 2025 NK Insider Forum, the day-long kickoff event of the inaugural three-day Seoul World Convention on North Korean Human Rights. More than 300 attendees gathered to hear from two defectors, who shared their firsthand experiences under the Kim regime, and international experts who shed light on inhumane punishment, pervasive censorship, and systematic oppression and discussed paths forward to reinvigorate global engagement on human rights in North Korea.
북한인권에 대한 국제적 참여의 재도약: 2025 NK 인사이더 포럼
서울, 한국 (2025년 10월 29일) – 지난 주 10월 22일, 휴먼라이츠 재단 (HRF)와 (사) 북한인권민간단체협의회가 함께 ‘2025 NK 인사이더 포럼’을 주최하여 서울 북한 인권 세계대회의 개막을 알리는 일일 행사를 진행하였습니다. 300명 이상의 참가자들이 두 명의 탈북민이 전하는 김씨 정권 하에서의 생생한 경험과 국제 전문가가 조명하는 북한의 비인간적인 처벌, 만연한 검열, 그리고 제도적인 억압에 대한 현실을 듣기 위해 한자리에 모였습니다. 이를 기반으로 북한 인권 문제에 대한 국제사회의 참여를 다시금 활성화할 수 있는 방안을 토론하는 시간을 가졌습니다.
HRF hosts inaugural NK Insider Forum in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, Korea — On Dec. 19, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) hosted the inaugural NK Insider Forum, a unique conference addressing critical issues related to North Korean human rights. The theme of this year’s forum, “Cracks in the Regime: The Exodus of North Korea’s Elite and Global Responses,” highlighted the defection of North Korea’s elite and the international community’s role in responding to the ongoing crisis.
HRF announces new grants for North Korean human rights
NEW YORK (Oct. 3, 2024) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce a new set of grants to help strengthen the work of...
Notice of Funding Opportunities: HRF Seeks Projects for Improving Human Rights in North Korea
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has announced the second round of its funding opportunity aimed at improving human rights in North Korea. HRF provided grants...
미국 인권재단 2024 북한인권향상 프로젝트 제안서 모집 (마감일 8월 19일, 월요일)
미국 인권재단 (HRF)은 작년에 이어 올해에도 시민단체에 북한 인권 향상을 위한 기금을 지원하게 되어 기쁘게 생각합니다.
본 기금은 북한 인권 향상을 위해 노력하는 한국 기반 시민단체들과의 파트너십을 통해, 폐쇄 사회에서 인권과 민주주의를 보호하고 증진하는 HRF의 사명에 부합하는 소규모이면서도 효과적인 프로젝트를 지원하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
[INTERNSHIP] Social Media/Content Manager – 2024
Join Human Rights Foundation’s exciting new in-house publication NK Insider (NKIN) as a Social Media/Content Manager Intern. We are seeking a qualified, creative individual to...
Passcode to the Third Floor: An Insider’s Account of Life Among North Korea’s Political Elite
Thae Yong-ho was a leading North Korean diplomat to the United Kingdom and Northern Europe―until his dramatic defection to South Korea in 2016. In this...
Inside the Kim Regime | Thae Yong-Ho | 2019
Thae Yong-ho lived a privileged life in North Korea as the deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. But in 2016, he risked everything to defect with his family to find freedom. He is the highest-ranking North Korean to ever escape and one of the fiercest voices against the Kim Jong-un regime today. Watch him at the 2019 Oslo Freedom Forum, where he talks about testifying before governments and the world about how we can end the atrocities committed by the regime.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea is a gripping and eye-opening book by journalist Barbara Demick, who interviewed over 100 defectors from the...
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story
The Girl with Seven Names is a New York Times bestseller and a gripping memoir by Hyeonseo Lee, a North Korean defector who risked her...
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park is a stunning memoir of a young woman who escaped from...
The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea
The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi is a rare and remarkable collection of stories that expose the harsh realities of life...
A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea
A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim is a sobering memoir of the author's decade-long struggle to flee from...
North Korea’s Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground Is Transforming a Closed Society
North Korea’s Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground Is Transforming a Closed Society by Jieun Baek is a fascinating book that examines how ordinary North...
The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag
The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan is a harrowing memoir of the author's ten years in a North Korean prison camp. Kang was only...
One Pastor’s Rescue Mission
Pastor Seungeun Kim is a prominent Korean human rights activist and leader of a modern-day underground railroad. He passionately serves North Korean defectors and works tirelessly on their behalf, rescuing and helping them become self-sufficient.
The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea
The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea by Jihyun Park is a riveting memoir that recounts the author's incredible journey of survival...