By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A British lawmaker Wednesday called on the international community to find a role in settling the appalling human rights condition in North Korea, saying the Helsinki spirit offers the most constructive way forward when dealing with North Korea.
Speaking at a seminar in Seoul, Lord David Alton of Britain's Upper House described the Helsinki process, which, he said, helped to break the totalitarian system that prevailed in the former Soviet Union, as an appropriate model in dealing with North Korea.
Under the Helsinki Accords of 1975, the United States and 34 other countries agreed to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West, which was considered a significant step toward reducing Cold War tensions between the two blocs.
``Helsinki defeated tyranny ― but not everywhere ― and today, the Helsinki spirit, Helsinki with a Korean face, offers the most constructive way forward,'' he said.
Alton, who served for 18 years in the House of Commons and 12 years in the Upper House, said politicians made mistakes over the past decade by focusing too much on the North Korean nuclear programs and neglecting the human rights condition there.
He called for ``building bridges'' rather than ``building walls,'' to help people suffering from repression and crying out for help.
``Confrontation seems more attractive than dialogue. It's certainly easier and requires less effort,'' he said.
Stressing the need for dialogue and engagement, Alton noted that ``dialogue, however, should not become an excuse for appeasement or timidity in speaking truthfully about the nature of a regime, its ideology and its policies.''
He called on the international community to play a role in improving human rights condition in North Korea.
Introducing the story of Yoo Sang-joon, the first North Korean refugee he had met in Westminster back in 2003, Alton stressed the need for a global effort to resolve the plight of North Koreans.
``(After fleeing the North), Yoo bravely reentered North Korea and helped many people flee across the border. He was arrested by the Chinese but due to international pressure, the Chinese relented and repatriated him to Seoul rather than to the North, as they had originally intended,'' he said.
According to him, an estimated 300,000 North Koreans have fled the country and many of them have died during the perilous journey across the Tumen River.
Alton has served as chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on North Korea in Britain since 2004.