Light Through the Darkness: A Forum on Freedom in North Korea”

The Bush Center, Dallas, Texas

On November 29, 2016, the Bush Institute in Dallas, Texas hosted an event titled “Light Through the Darkness: A Forum on Freedom in North Korea.” The forum brought together important national stakeholders and local community leaders to examine the human condition in North Korea.

 
Former President George W. Bush gave remarks at the forum calling North Korea the “greatest sustained humanitarian challenge of our time.” The event explored the nexus between North Korean human rights and national security and brought attention to new initiatives that support the North Korean people, particularly escapees who have resettled in the United States.

North Korea represents a grave security threat. It shows how the proliferation of deadly technology can allow small leaders – failed, cruel and criminal leaders – to threaten and disrupt the world on a grand scale. With every successful missile test, the reach of a great danger advances – from Seoul, to Tokyo, to across the Pacific.

This forum comes at a time when there are heightened concerns about the significant advances in North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and increasing focus on the human rights abuses occurring in the country.