On July 17th, RFI hosted a roundtable with the North Korean Young Leaders Assembly (NKYLA), a group of escapees and emerging leaders who spread awareness about the oppressive North Korean regime. Each year, NKYLA brings together 10 courageous escapees from North Korea to meet with lawmakers, diplomats, think tanks, and human rights activists in the United States. The escapees share their experiences to shine a light on the horrors of the regime, and to influence policy and public opinion toward seeking a free Korea. 

RFI President David Trimble and Events Coordinator Ashley Campbell, along with several of our interns, joined to hear from these young professionals about their harrowing escape to freedom and the suffering they experienced under the North Korean regime – including starvation, denial of access to education, class-based mistreatment and discrimination, and state-sponsored killing of family members. Many spoke of the regime’s efforts to “brainwash” the North Korean population, and the fact that religious freedom was entirely absent throughout the country. They also discussed what they are doing now, and how they are leading in their fields and proposing solutions for a more just Korea.

One of the participants in the meeting, Hyunseung Lee, who is the Founder of NKYLA, was a former sergeant in North Korea’s military and deeply embedded in the regime’s overseas trade networks. He escaped in 2014 and now uses his insights into the regime’s inner workings as a policy strategist and consultant. A leading voice in North Korean policy and human rights advocacy, he founded NKYLA to empower young escapees not only to share their testimony, but to equip them with the tools, knowledge, and global networks needed to pursue change.

NKYLA gathers young professionals and graduate students across a variety of fields – including political science, international development, business, and law. RFI was proud to host this courageous group of escapees and will continue to highlight the scourge of oppression and religious repression in North Korea. 

Learn more about the NKYLA here.