Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea, (center), during a Congressional testimony. Tim Peters has gained international recognition for his work in assisting and sheltering North Korean refugees.

Giving Congressional testimony on the plight of North Korean refugees
Helping Hands Korea, Seoul, Korea

Tim Peters, FCF project manager of Helping Hands Korea, appeared before the House Committee on International Relations in Washington on Oct 27th 2005. Tim had been invited to give Congressional testimony concerning the plight of North Korean refugees, and reported to the Committee the lack of implementation and cooperation that NGOs like Helping Hands Korea have experienced, despite passage of the landmark North Korean Human Rights Act by Congress in 2004.

Tim also urged Congress to swiftly pass a long-overdue appropriations bill that would help the activist community do a better job of assisting and sheltering North Korean refugees and guiding those at particular risk along the so-called "underground railroad" to safety.

During his lengthy testimony, Peters shared accounts of heart-rending suffering by refugees in their bid to escape North Korea, as well as highlighted the endangerment and imprisonment faced by human-rights activist leaders, including the urgent case of American Pastor Phillip Jun Buck, currently undergoing harsh imprisonment by the North Korean government.

For more on the work of Tim Peters and Helping Hands Korea