Rep. Young Kim and Rep. Ami Bera hold a roundtable discussion in Washington D.C. with North Korean defectors and representatives of North Korean human rights organizations. April 29, 2026.

Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and Global Threats, hosted the 23rd Annual North Korea Freedom Week Roundtable on Wednesday, April 29, where she discussed the urgent need to support North Koreans yearning for freedom and condemn the North Korean regime’s ongoing human rights abuses with 11 North Korean defectors.

Participants shared vivid testimonies of the brutal conditions, systematic oppression, and constant surveillance faced by the North Korean people. They emphasized the moral urgency for Congress to act and made it clear why the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Kim, must be passed.

Earlier, in early November last year, Rep. Kim, along with Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), the Ranking Member of the subcommittee, introduced the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2025. This bill reauthorizes and strengthens the landmark North Korean Human Rights Act, enacted in 2004.

Rep. Kim stated, "Kim Jong Un only knows power and is hell-bent on enriching himself and expanding his nuclear arsenal at the expense of his own people. The severe human rights abuses perpetrated against the North Korean people are unacceptable."

She added, "Hearing directly from defectors serves as a powerful reminder of why we must stand with those who long for freedom trapped under this brutal regime and what is at stake. I am proud to lead the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act to ensure that the United States continues to take action and hold Kim Jong Un accountable."

"North Korea Freedom Week," now in its 23rd year, is being held from Sunday, April 26, to Saturday, May 2, in Washington D.C., hosted by the North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC), led by Suzanne Scholte, and various North Korean defector organizations domestically and internationally.

This year's theme is "The Truth Shall Set Them Free."

The event schedule includes policy forums presenting unification as a fundamental solution to North Korea's nuclear and human rights issues, interviews with federal lawmakers, hearings, roundtable discussions, and solidarity rallies for the improvement of North Korean human rights through events such as laying wreaths for Korean War veterans and prayer services.

This event, which first began in Washington D.C. in 2004 to support the passage of the 'North Korean Human Rights Act' by Congress, received explosive attention this year with a House Human Rights Committee hearing held after a four-year hiatus. It gained particular attention with revelations that the current South Korean government and National Assembly have been taken over by pro-China and anti-American elements.

By Sung Ku Hong, Editor-in-Chief, NNP USA / Special Contribution to this publication NNP info@newsandpost.com