About this Event
When the world talks about North Korea, the conversation often begins with nuclear weapons, missiles, sanctions, and meetings between Kim Jong-un and world leaders. These issues dominate the headlines, while the people living under the regime are too often pushed into the background.
North Koreans are not simply figures in a political story, nor should their lives and suffering be viewed only through the lens of geopolitics. They are human beings, entitled to the same universal rights, dignity, and freedom as anyone else.
This event seeks to bring the focus back to the people.
Through two powerful books, we will explore the stories that rarely make the headlines: secret conversations with people inside North Korea who dared to imagine a different future, and the lived experiences of those who risked everything to escape and rebuild their lives.
These are not simply stories about North Korea. They are testimonies of courage, truth, and the human desire for freedom.
By recording and sharing these voices, we challenge a narrative that too often speaks about North Koreans without allowing the world to hear from them.
Do Hee-yoon, a South Korean human rights activist, has helped bring hidden voices from inside North Korea to international attention, including The Accusation, a collection of short stories by the anonymous North Korean writer Bandi. Through Conversations Between North and South Korean Revolutionaries, we will explore secret exchanges that revealed the realities of life under the regime and the hopes of those who dared to imagine freedom.
Timothy Holm, author of Voices from North Korea: True Stories of Escape and Resilience, brings academic knowledge and direct insight into the North Korean community in the UK, sharing the human experiences behind the headlines.
Through their work and experiences, our speakers will explore why recording these stories matters, why truth must be preserved, and why North Korean people must be heard as human beings with universal rights—not merely as subjects of geopolitics.
Two books. Real lives. Voices that must be heard.
** THIS IS FREE EVENT, BUT ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQIRED TO ATTEEND.
Event venue & nearby stays
Bush House South East Wing, King's College London (SE 1.05), Bush house South East Wing, King's College, London WC2B 4PJ, London, United Kingdom
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