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Read a message from filmmakers Jim Butterworth and Lisa Sleeth about how you can make a difference:
More than awards or good reviews, the greatest testament to SEOUL TRAIN is that after every screening, people are glued to their seats in stunned silence wondering why this is happening and what they, as individuals, can do to help. The answer is: a lot!
For example, in late 2004, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed landmark legislation called the North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA), aimed—among other things—at promoting human rights and democracy in North Korea. Although the NKHRA authorizes $24 million per year in funding for humanitarian programs, Congress has yet to appropriate one dollar of these funds—a separate appropriation bill is need to do that.
The root problem, however, lies with the North Korean government. Due to the regime's human rights abuses, persecuted and hungry North Koreans find that their only option is to flee to China. The North Korean government also prohibits the UN special rapporteur on human rights from visiting the country and stymies the efforts of NGOs remaining in North Korea. Kim Jong-il has ordered the World Food Program (WFP) to cease its operations—upon which one-third of the population depends—by December 31, 2005. In addition, other governments are reluctant to put human rights on the agenda in their discussions with North Korea for fear that North Korea will withdraw from the six-party nuclear disarmament talks.
As depicted in SEOUL TRAIN, the refugees flee to China, where the Chinese government flouts international law, to which it is a party, by forcibly repatriating refugees who will face known persecutions in North Korea (a practice known as “refoulement”). The Chinese government also prohibits access to the refugees by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as other humanitarian groups. Moreover, the UNHCR refuses to do everything it can to gain access to the refugees, including taking legal action against the Chinese government to force its compliance with international refugee law.
Getting Involved
There are a number of people you can contact at the national and inter-governmental levels that directly affect policy toward North Korean refugees. You can get a comprehensive list at the SEOUL TRAIN Web site. There, you can also learn how to join or donate to a group providing humanitarian assistance (e.g., food, shelter, medicine, orphanages, etc.) to the refugees in China or inside North Korea.
While airing SEOUL TRAIN on shows like Independent Lens does wonders to create an awareness of this crisis, it still remains relatively unknown. Help change that by buying the film on DVD and sending it to a friend, hosting a screening in your community, organizing a petition drive, writing an editorial in your newspaper or all the above. If you want to plan a community event, or attend a screening in your community, get guides and other resources from ITVS Community >>
After the Rwandan genocide, the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Africa, said, “If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different.”
This is both our lesson and our inspiration.
Thank you for getting involved!
Lisa Sleeth and Jim Butterworth
producers and directors, SEOUL TRAIN
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