Robert Park (activist) explained

Robert Park
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Nationality:The United States
Occupation:Missionary, human rights activist, peace advocate, pro-unification columnist
Module:
Child:yes
Header1:Detainment
Label2:Country
Label3:Detained
Label4:Released
Label5:Days in detention
Label6:Reason for detention
Data6:Illegally entering North Korea

Robert Park (born 1981)[2] is a Korean-American missionary,[3] [4] musician,[5] [6] [7] and human rights activist.[8] A peace advocate[9] and supporter of Korean reunification,[10] [11] [12] [13] he is a founding member of the nonpartisan Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea[14] and a frequent columnist for South Korea's largest English newspaper, The Korea Herald.[15] [16] In December 2009 he was detained in North Korea for illegal entry after crossing the Sino-Korean border on Christmas Day[17] [18] to protest against the country's human rights situation.[14] He was released in February 2010 after being detained for 43 days.[19] He reported having suffered torture during his detention.

Early life

Park was born in Los Angeles, California. His Korean name is Park Dong-hoon ,[20] and his grandparents were prominent Christians in North Korea before Korea's division. He spent much of his early life in California, Mexico and Arizona, where in 2007 he was ordained as a missionary by a non-denominational Church. Prior to his involvement with North Korea-related work, Park was active as a missionary in Sonora, Mexico, where he had assisted in the organization and delivery of humanitarian relief over several years.

Detention in North Korea

On December 25, 2009, he crossed the Chinese border into North Korea by walking across a frozen stretch of the Tumen River.[21] He was quickly apprehended by North Korean border guards for illegal entry.[22] In a media interview conducted prior to his journey and published after his arrest, Park said he believed it was his duty as a Christian to do whatever he could to protest against human rights violations in the country,[23] and that he was entering North Korea to call forcefully for the release of political prisoners, who he has argued through numerous articles are victims of genocide and crimes against humanity as defined under international law.

While under arrest, Park made a public confession and apology for his actions. On February 5, 2010, the North Korean government announced that it had pardoned Park. He was deported by plane to Beijing, China, from where he was then flown back to the United States.[24] He later recanted his confession as having been made under duress, and reported having suffered torture and beatings during his detention. He was hospitalized for PTSD on multiple occasions following his detention, sometimes spanning a number of months.

Post-release

As a victim of North Korean torture,[25] Park is preparing to file a lawsuit in the U.S. Federal Court under the Torture Victims Protection Act of 1991.[14] [26]

His writings on the North Korean human rights situation have been published in the Harvard International Review, The Washington Post, Haaretz, San Jose Mercury News, Asia Times, South China Morning Post, National Post, The Diplomat, World Policy, Columbia Journal of International Affairs, The Hill, The Korea Times, and numerous other publications.[14] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] He is a contributor to World Affairs Journal[37] and a regular columnist for The Korea Herald.[38] [39]

On December 19, 2011, Genocide Watch, an international NGO and human rights watchdog, published a report which quoted heavily from a 2011 article penned by Park for the Asia Times, entitled "North Korea and the Genocide Convention." The paper concluded North Korea was actively committing genocide as defined by the UN Genocide Convention.[40] [41] Park has repeatedly called for concerned persons and organizations to increase financial support towards North Korean defectors, who are able to remit money back to their families in the North, potentially making possible an organized movement to halt atrocities.[42] [43] [44] [45]

Park had advocated for amnesty as an alternative to US military actions and advocates consistently for support and outreach to the North Korean people, whom he regards as victims of the forcibly installed Kim family dynasty.[46] [47] [48] His closest friends are reportedly North Korean refugees.

Music

Post-detention and release, Park began to compose music and poems to cope with trauma as well as continue to address human right issues.[49] [50] [51] Concerning his song, "Indifference," recorded and released via music video in demo form, The Big Takeover site highlighted the track as "an enraged and sagacious masterpiece" and Park's songwriting in general as "heart-rending, relevant and timeless."[52]

Blurt indicated the name of his music project as Malheur V.O.L., Malheur being the French word for "affliction" and V.O.L. being an acronym for "La Violencia del Amor," the title of a work by Oscar Romero. The project moniker is also directly inspired by Simone Weil's 1942 essay "L'amour de Dieu et le malheur."[53]

Writings

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: North Korea Apparently Detains U.S. Missionary, Activist Says. Fox News. 28 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20170717013353/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/12/28/north-korea-apparently-detains-us-missionary-activist-says.html. 17 July 2017.
  2. Book: 로버트 박의 목소리 [The Voice of Robert Park]. Sage Korea. 2014. 9788996535836. South Korea.
  3. News: Herskovitz. Jon. North Korea says U.S. man arrested for illegal entry. Reuters. 29 December 2009.
  4. Teresa Jun. "Tucsonans hold prayer vigil for missionary detained in North Korea", KOLD, December 30, 2009.
  5. Blurt Staff. "Anti-genocide Activist Robert Park Releases Debut Music Video", Blurt Magazine, July 8, 2013.
  6. Web site: Video Premiere: "I am but a Child" by Malheur VOL. 2015-06-02.
  7. Web site: Video Premiere: "In Love/Ascent" by Malheur VOL. 2015-06-02.
  8. World Affairs., World Affairs Journal, 2013.
  9. News: [Robert Park] Former American prisoner of North Korea pleads for peace ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-10-11. 2018-03-02. en.
  10. News: Instead of war, offer North Korea an amnesty in exchange for Kim - The Nation. The Nation. 2017-09-13. en.
  11. Web site: A Path to Free North Korea's Political Prisoners « CSS Blog Network. isnblog.ethz.ch. en-US. 2017-09-13.
  12. Web site: A Path to Free North Korea's Political Prisoners World Policy Institute. www.worldpolicy.org. en. 2017-09-13.
  13. News: [Robert Park] A path to free NK political prisoners ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-06-22. 2017-09-13. en.
  14. Carnegie Council. "Robert Park", Carnegie Council: The Voice for Ethics in International Affairs, February 15, 2012.
  15. News: [Robert Park] Unification of Koreas solution to North Korea's nuclear threat ]. The Korea Herald . 2016-09-19. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] Viable and principled alternative to war ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-05-15. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: Remembering Godang Cho Man-sik (1883-1950) . The Korea Herald . 2016-10-19. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] Amnesty for NK officials Kim's strategic nightmare ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-02-06. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] 'Peacefully' remove Kim Jong-un ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-02-07. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] Preventive strike: An atrocious proposition ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-01-08. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] Japan and China visibly preparing for preventive strike fallout ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-04-14. 2017-09-08. en.
    • News: [Robert Park] Nuclear preemptive strikes on North Korea? ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-04-10. 2017-09-08. en.
  16. News: [Robert Park] Kim dynasty: "Nazi-like" fascism that imperialism begot ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-05-30. 2018-03-02. en.
  17. Web site: Herskovitz. Jon. Interview with North Korea border crosser Robert Park. https://web.archive.org/web/20100114120329/http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/12/30/interview-with-north-korea-border-crosser-robert-park/. 14 January 2010. Reuters. 30 December 2009.
  18. Web site: The True Meaning Of Martyrdom. Forbes. 2015-06-02.
  19. News: Gabbatt. Adam. US human rights campaigner freed by North Korea returns home. The Guardian. 7 February 2010.
  20. News: Missionary a 'Prayer Warrior'. Radio Free Asia. 26 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20110526011959/http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/park-12262009153120.html. 26 May 2011.
  21. News: Beaumont. Peter. US human rights activist crosses Chinese border into North Korea. The Guardian. 26 December 2009.
  22. News: Kim. Hyung-jin. U.S. missionary says North Korea jailers tortured him. Deseret News. 27 October 2010. en.
  23. Web site: Herskovitz. Jon. Interview with North Korea border crosser Robert Park. https://web.archive.org/web/20100114120329/http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/12/30/interview-with-north-korea-border-crosser-robert-park/. 14 January 2010. Global News Journal. Reuters. 30 September 2009.
  24. News: American Missionary Freed by North Korea. The New York Times. 5 February 2010.
  25. News: N. Korea Prison Torture Described. The New York Times. 2010-10-27. 2015-06-02. 0362-4331. Mark. Mcdonald.
  26. Web site: North Korea: Witness to Transformation Robert Park and Genocide and Torture II. blogs.piie.com. 2015-06-02.
  27. Robert Park."North Korea and the Genocide Movement", Harvard International Review, September 27, 2011.
  28. Robert Park."When will we stop the genocide in North Korea?", Washington Post, April 21, 2011.
  29. Robert Park."Battling a system of starvation", Haaretz, December 9, 2011.
  30. Robert Park."Robert Park: North Korean refugees face slaughter when China repatriates them", San Jose Mercury News, February 28, 2012.
  31. Robert Park."North Korea and the Genocide Convention", Asia Times, September 9, 2011.
  32. Robert Park."The case for genocide in North Korea", Korea Herald, February 8, 2012.
  33. News: Park. Robert. South Korea must act to save the lives of refugees from the North. National Post. 27 December 2011. https://archive.today/20240528061949/https://www.webcitation.org/6tKwcueVR?url=http://nationalpost.com/opinion/robert-park-south-korea-must-act-to-save-the-lives-of-refugees-from-the-north. live. 28 May 2024.
  34. Robert Park."US silence on North Korea", Korea Times, November 14, 2012.
  35. Web site: Responsibility to Protect in North Korea . 2015-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150502091503/http://hir.harvard.edu/archives/2859 . 2015-05-02 .
  36. Web site: North Korea: The World's Principal Violator of the "Responsibility to Protect" - JIA SIPA. 2015-06-02.
  37. World Affairs., "World Affairs Journal", 2013.
  38. News: [Robert Park] Viable and principled alternative to war ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-05-15. 2017-09-12. en.
  39. News: [Robert Park] Refuse fratricidal war ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-04-28. 2017-09-12. en.
  40. Hye-Won, Kim. "GENOCIDE and POLITICIDE ALERT: NORTH KOREA", "Genocide Watch", December 19, 2011.
  41. Robert, Park. "North Korea and the Genocide Convention", Asia Times, September 9, 2011.
  42. News: When will we stop the genocide in North Korea?. The Washington Post. 2011-03-29. 2015-06-02. 0190-8286. en. Robert. Park.
  43. Web site: (Yonhap Interview) Robert Park calls for cash remittances to N. Koreans to topple regime YONHAP NEWS. english.yonhapnews.co.kr. 2015-06-02.
  44. Web site: Seoul should protect North Korea defectors in China by law: activist. 2015-06-02. The Korea Herald. 11 January 2012 .
  45. Web site: North Korea: Witness to Transformation Yodok Update. blogs.piie.com. 2015-06-02.
  46. News: [Robert Park] Viable and principled alternative to war ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-05-15. 2017-09-08. en.
  47. News: [Robert Park] Preventive strike: An atrocious proposition ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-01-08. 2017-09-08. en.
  48. News: [Robert Park] 'Peacefully' remove Kim Jong-un ]. The Korea Herald . 2017-02-07. 2017-09-08. en.
  49. http://blurtonline.com/news/video-loveascent-malheur-vol "Video: 'In Love/Ascent' from Malheur VOL"
  50. http://bigtakeover.com/news/video-premiere-the-seal-by-malheur-vol "Video premiere: 'The Seal' by Malheur VOL"
  51. http://bigtakeover.com/news/video-premiere-i-am-but-a-child-by-malheur-vol "Video Premiere: 'I am but a Child' by Malheur VOL"
  52. http://bigtakeover.com/news/exclusive-video-premiere-malheur-vol-indifference "Exclusive video premiere: Malheur VOL, 'Indifference'"
  53. http://blurtonline.com/news/anti-genocide-activist-robert-park-releases-debut-music-video/ "Anti-genocide Activist Robert Park Releases Debut Music Video"

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