North Korean defectors seek U.S. help to replace regime

To launch the 12th annual North Korea Freedom Week, a spokesman for a group of 22 North Korean defectors told an April 27 Newsmaker of their plans to end the regime of Kim Jong-un and bring about the peaceful reunification of Korea, but said lack of support by the U.S. is making this difficult.

Kim Seong-min, delegation chairman and director of Free North Korea Radio, said "our main problem is lack of resources," particularly funding. Another problem, he said, is that "China does not recognize people trying to flee North Korea as refugees."

Members of the delegation included people who discussed prison camps, propaganda movies and media, human trafficking, drug production and trafficking, illegal weapons trade and counterfeiting, female soldiers and persecution of defectors' families.

The group is sponsored in the U.S. by the Virginia-based Defense Forum Foundation, whose president, Suzanne Scholte, said "all the ladies and gentlemen in this room have been targeted for assassination" by the Pyongyang government.

During their U.S. visit, the defectors also are meeting at the State Department, Congress, National Security Council and United Nations.