A North Korean defector-turned-pianist will hold a recital at the U.S. State Department Monday as part of U.S. efforts to help promote freedom for North Koreans, Yohap News reported quoting the department.
"Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor David J. Kramer will host a reception/recital for North Korean dissident and acclaimed pianist Kim Choel-woong Monday, October 6, at 12:15 p.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the U.S. Department of State," the State Department said in a statement.
"Mr. Kim escaped North Korea in 2001, and now teaches music courses at the University of Seoul," the statement said. "The event will underscore President George W. Bush's message of U.S. solidarity with the people of North Korea, and will highlight Mr. Kim's courageous pursuit of artistic and cultural freedom."
Bush has met with North Korean defectors in recent months and raised the issue of North Korean human rights in summit talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao in August, amid criticism that he had stopped short of addressing the issue in an effort to not provoke the North.
In late July, Bush introduced Cho Jin-hae, a 21-year-old woman who defected from the North, to an audience at a human rights forum in Washington.