— Urges Pakistan’s support for millions suffering under ‘oppressive regime’
ISLAMABAD: Jooil Kim, a North Korean military officer who defected and lives in self-exile in United Kingdom, has landed in Pakistan to win diplomatic and public support for his plans to rescue millions of his colleagues in North Korea, who according to him, are victims of blatant human rights violations under the authoritarian regime of Kim Jong-un.
Jooil Kim staged one-man protests outside the North Korean Embassy here as well as at the Centaurus Mall to raise his voice against the massive human rights violations by what he called the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He later in the day also addressed the participants of a seminar here and discussed the gross human rights violations in North Korea.
Following the protest demonstration at Centaurus Mall, Jooil Kim sat down with daily Pakistan Today for an exclusive interview. Jooil Kim said that he was serving as a young captain in the North Korean army. Kim belonged to the North Korean elite but he soon began to harbour doubts about the autocratic regime when he saw the gap between the harsh realities and the texbook socialism he had been taught. In 2005, Kim decided to breakaway for Kim Jong-un’s rule.
Born in Gilju County of Hamgyeong province in North Korea, Jooil Kim was serving in the Military Demarcation Line when he decided to defect.
“I was sent to the China-North Korea border to track down army defectors but there I decided to seize the opportunity and defected myself. A young man of 26 years, I swam 200 metres across the Duman River at night and escaped to China where I made enough money to survive by washing dishes in a restaurant,” Jooil Kim said, adding that later he moved to Vietnam and then to Cambodia and finally arrived South Korea in year 2007.
“Once I landed in South Korea, I decided to help my countrymen who are suffering under the dictatorial regime of Kim Jong-un’s father. For this purpose, I decided to move to United Kingdom from where I could launch a campaign. I chose London because South Korea is demonized in North Korea,” he added.
When asked how he did know about the plight of his countrymen back in North Korea, Jooil Kim said, “I was able to confirm the actual situation of human rights violations in North Korea and I hope to solve the human rights problem in North Korea through solidarity and cooperation of the international community”.
I was able to realise the importance of freedom and human rights, and it is necessary to secure specific evidence to enable accountability, such as records and investigations of human rights in North Korea.
Asked to explain why he had arrived Pakistan, Jooil Kim said that Pakistan government and its people can assist his campaign.
“Since Pakistan is a democratic state and is also a friend of North Korea and South Korea, I suppose Pakistan would support peace efforts in the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, Pakistan has housed North Korean embassy and I believe North Korean regime would listen to Pakistan’s advice. I wish Pakistan to urge North Korea to restore democratic order and ensure the people exercise their basic human rights. My wish is that the level of democracy Pakistan enjoys, North Korean people should also have the same,” he said.
Asked if Pakistan was the only destination he planned to stage the demos, Jooil Kim said he plans to take this campaign further and would use all international platforms to raise awareness on the brutalities committed against the people of North Korea.
“I have visited United Nations too and raised my voice there. I also addressed British Parliament and other key international forums to register my concerns for my countrymen,” he asserted.
Kim says he has support of around 35000 North Korean refugees in South Korea, 800 in England, 60 in Netherlands, 120 in Belgium, 200 in Japan and 240 in the USA.
