▲ NED head Carl Gershman with Benjamin Yoon, the chairman of Citizen’s Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (© DailyNK)

A reception was held in Seoul this lunchtime to congratulate the president of the National Endowment for Democracy, Carl Gershman, on receiving the Order of Diplomatic Service ‘Heungin’ Medal from the South Korean government in recognition of his work for North Korean human rights.

“The people from North Korean human rights groups in this room today are my friends and they are friends of the North Korean people,” Gershman, whose long fight for democracy worldwide has not dimmed his enthusiasm, commented in his speech.

Yoo See Hee, the head of NKnet, commented of the NED head, “At the end of the 1990s, a time when nobody had an interest in it, President Gershman actively worked for North Korean democratization and human rights improvement. When the international community and even the Korean government were turning away, President Gershman never scrimped in his support for North Korean human rights groups.”

Park Sun Young, a Liberty Forward Party lawmaker agreed, adding, “The NED’s activities made international human rights groups and governments and legislatures in each country take an interest in North Korean human rights. For this service, I bow my head in respect to the recipient of the Heungin Medal, President Gershman.”

The reception was organized by 12 North Korean human rights groups that receive funding from the NED, including Daily NK.