"No Concrete Evidence of Human Rights Violations in the North"

These words were uttered by none other than anti-Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung:

According to the testimony of North Korean defectors, one side of the May Day Stadium where the performance takes place often smells of urine. That’s because students are not allowed to leave their positions while practicing the flash card performance. So they simply urinate while sitting down in their seats. Many children are said to end up getting bladder infections. One wrong move and children are clubbed and punished in groups. Kim Hyun-sik, former professor at Kim Hyung Jik College of Education, said the Arirang performance was “soaked with the blood and tears of the North Korean people.”

Regarding questions as to whether the South Korean president should attend such a performance marred by allegations of child abuse, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung retorted whether the lengthy training of South Korean children for a play or sports event could be viewed as abuse was uncertain. Regarding North Korea’s human rights violations, Lee pretended not to know, saying human rights issues should be interpreted according to the unique circumstances of a particular society. He added that there was no concrete evidence of human rights violations in the North.  [Chosun Ilbo]

Absolutely and utterly unbelievable.  This is on par with denying the Jewish Holocaust of World War II, but he is denying the North Korean Holocaust instead.  If letting hundreds of thousands to millions of your population to starve to death while you expand your military is not a human rights violation than I don’t know what is.  Has Lee ever read anything from Kang Chol-hwan or any of the other North Korean defectors? 

How does Lee explain the gulags?:

I would love to see Lee Jae-joung tell this woman there are no human rights violations in North Korea:

Few things have pissed me off more than what this morally corrupt North Korean apologist has stated.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the South Korean government believes no human rights violations are occurring inside North Korea when these are the same people who could care less about the current mass sexual slavery of North Korean women in China and has allowed the North Koreans to kidnap and keep hundreds to thousands of South Koreans.  The rescue of these South Korean citizens are left to average people such as this 66 year old grandma to undertake while the Korean government obstructs her. 

I’m willing to bet if you ask Lee Jae-joung he would be willing to condemn Japan for human rights violations committed on the Korean peninsula by the Imperial Japanese 60 years ago, but he is not willing to condemn far worse human rights violations being committed against Korean people now.  These comments are the greatest indication yet of the Moral Bankruptcy of the Korean government.  I guess it is only fitting these people will be watching a bunch of abused children perform for them next month in Pyongyang.  I hope they enjoy the smell of urine.