Washington D.C., May 17, 2018 / 15:29 pm
As President Donald Trump prepares for a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, religious freedom advocates are urging the U.S. president to negotiate the release of the remaining prisoners in North Korea's labor camps.
On May 17, more than 50 scholars, religious leaders, and human rights advocates sent a letter to President Trump and key foreign policy leaders requesting that the U.S. incorporate human rights in the nuclear negotiations set for June 10 in Singapore.
While acknowledging that the successful denuclearization of North Korea would "benefit all of humanity," the letter recommends specific terms that could be added to a negotiated agreement to assist those suffering from North Korea's human rights abuses.
"We also implore you to recognize that there are tens of thousands of other men, women, and even children -- most of them North Korean citizens and many of them Christians -- being brutalized by Kim and his regime," reads the letter written by the Religious Freedom Institute.