Sam Brownback: “this week the North Korean Freedom Coalition, a bipartisan coalition of NGOs and individuals, will be organizing a rally…”

“this week the North Korean Freedom Coalition, a bipartisan coalition of NGOs and individuals, will be organizing a rally on Capitol Hill at noon on Friday, April 28, 2006, in recognition of North Korea Freedom Day. Largely through the persistent efforts of the coalition and many others across the country, there has been an upsurge of interest in North Korea with Americans and particularly the faith communities. Members of Congress, North Korean defectors, NGO leaders from the USA, South Korea, and Japan have been holding rallies, testifying before Congress, and personally sharing their stories with others and the press to help support the plight of North Koreans and, in particular, the refugees in China and elsewhere. Thousands will gather to stand up for the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people. Since the Stalinist country disclosed several years ago that it had renewed efforts to develop nuclear weapons, not a single day goes by without Pyongyang carrying out more reckless deeds to escalate the crisis or exchanging hostile threats with Washington, DC. With the six- party talks dissolving without any progress, the current nuclear standoff seems poised to continue, if not deteriorate. Many people point out, and correctly so, the need for more scholarship on the nuclear threat that North Korea poses not only to East Asia but also to the world.…”