Literary writers speak up for N. K. human right abuses

"Literary writers should no longer remain silent to things going on in North Korea."

Literary critic Bang Min-ho, professor at Seoul National University, announced a draft of "literary writers` declaration of North Korean people`s rights" Tuesday at the "literature seminar for defected North Koreans and South and North Korean literature writers` poetry reading" held at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Kyungnam University. It is the first time for a South Korean literary circle to release a statement to urge improvement in North Korean people`s rights. He said, "I have believed for long that writers should not turn away from North Korean people`s human rights abuses. I named this `draft` since an individual started it and can`t say it is a statement."

Professor Bang said at the declaration, "North Korea`s current system is hell on earth and `Big Brother` is yielding iron fist for the third generation," adding, "What we literary writers should first do is to spit on this system. We writers should speak for and write with consciousness and sense until North Koreans can enjoy the same rights as South Koreans."

Novelist Lee Ho-cheol who joined the event said, "The problem is that no one is speaking about North Koreans` human rights issue. This should have been started earlier." He added, "I had conversations with other literature writers regarding the draft and faced arguments and concerns. They said we can speak about the matter but North Korea will not listen. This could remain a self-satisfaction, they said. They also said this could arouse another political conflicts in our literary circle. However, North Korean people`s rights go beyond liberal or conservative ideology. This should not be used politically. This is our effort to create a virtuous circle."

Professor Bang said, "The South Korean literary circle should churn out writers who deeply look into irrational and oppressive situations. This is an urgent matter and our society wants those writers. This is why I wrote the draft."

Professor Bang announced his new novel "Yoon Hye-young is not dead" with his penname Han Hyo-kyung. The novel is about a North Korean singer Yoon Hye-young who turned down late former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and had secret love affair with a male pianist.