Oh Se-hoon: "North Korean youth losing lives as cannon fodder... Need to establish North Korea Human Rights Foundation"

"North Korea's Horrific Human Rights Conditions Must Be Exposed"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon referred to a letter from a North Korean soldier who died in the Russia-Ukraine war, stating, "The crimes of the North Korean regime, which treats the lives of its people as disposable, must be recorded one by one and inevitably judged." Mayor Oh emphasized that the establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, which has not progressed for eight years due to opposition from the opposition party, must be realized.

On the 26th, Mayor Oh said on Facebook, "The youth who longed for the embrace of their mother and father and wrote each letter celebrating a friend's birthday lost their lives as cannon fodder on foreign soil."

He revealed a handwritten letter found on the body of a North Korean soldier killed by the Ukrainian Special Operations Command in the Kursk region of Russia on the 24th.

On the 15th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the National Assembly inspection of Seoul City Hall held by the Administrative Safety Committee at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, and responded to questions from assembly members. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Mayor Oh said, "This soldier is 'our citizen' living on the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands according to the constitution," adding, "Although oppressed by a different political system, his life and death are also our pain."

He then reflected, "What is politics?" and pointed out, "Politics is about protecting human life and dignity. The moment we forget this simple truth, politics turns into a monster."

He continued, "The establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, which has been stalled for eight years due to the Democratic Party's opposition, is a task that can no longer be postponed," emphasizing, "We must uncover the horrific human rights situation in North Korea and open a path for practical support and hope."

Earlier, since the enactment of the North Korean Human Rights Act in 2016, the People Power Party recommended directors of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation to the National Assembly according to the law, but because the Democratic Party did not recommend a list of directors, the list of directors recommended by the People Power Party has not been submitted to the Ministry of Unification. As a result, the foundation's launch has been delayed for eight years.