The situation in North Korea has reached a point of destitution that can no longer be ignored… The situation in North Korea has reached a point of destitution that can no longer be ignored by the international community.

Perhaps the most vivid example of this can be observed in the recent airing of footage of an execution that was smuggled out of North Korea and brought to our television sets yesterday evening in a documentary presented by CNN.

An article released yesterday indicated that the documentary captures an execution by firing squad of a man who allegedly assisted a defector in escaping into China. In addition, the video also shows what the article describes as “a concentration camp housing political prisoners.”

The article goes on to cite that the Human Rights Watch has deduced that approximately 200,000 political prisoners exist in North Korea. Research from clandestine informants suggest that 95 percent of all those who entered these camps are dying, if not already dead.

A report titled, “Glimpses of a Hermit Nation” that was released this July in the Los Angeles Times illustrated the overall secrecy of the country; “In the rare instances in which foreigners are admitted to the totalitarian country, it is on strictly escorted tours of the capital, Pyongyang and a few other carefully selected sites – unauthorized contact with foreigners is a serious crime in North Korea.”

Essentially what we have in North Korea are reports of genocide, famine and torture that human beings are subjected to on a daily basis. The first thing we can do as students is promote public awareness in the efforts to incite public sentiment against these atrocities, so that our government will take a more active stand.

Undoubtedly, there are other things to consider in our efforts. With the interminable war in Iraq and the news reports foreseeing that before we are even able to repair the levees in New Orleans there will be another hurricane, it seems that acting as the world police in this instance could have Americans questioning whether the United States has its priorities in order.

But observing the energy the United States spent on monitoring library and phone records, it seems that our country has not lost the ability to surreptitiously obtain information just yet.

It is still very much in our capacity to educate the public about what’s really going on in North Korea and charge the United Nations to address the situation through possible penalties, such as trade tariffs against North Korea, until they release civilians from bondage.

Secondly, we as college students can work to free North Koreans by donating to the Korean Culture Association here at Pitt. KCA doubles as a chapter of Liberty in North Korea. LINK is a non-profit organization that focuses on education and human rights issues.

Just recently they had a benefit concert to raise money for relief in North Korea. More specifically, they targeted their efforts to funding a safe-house in China where those in poverty in North Korea can seek refuge.

However, it requires $2,000 to keep a safe-house running for six months. Last Saturday’s benefit concert raised $1,400. So unfortunately, they were $600 shy of their goal. Any surplus funds would be directed to buy Korean women out of sex slavery so that they may be free.

Erica Liloquist, vice president and co-founder of KCA, spoke out on the situation in her native country: “The human rights issue is absolutely atrocious. When you hear about North Korea you mostly hear about nuclear weapons. Nothing is said about the people who are murdered, tortured and, essentially, set out to starve to death everyday.”

After the Holocaust in Germany, many pledged that this act of genocide would be the last. Rwanda and Darfur seemed to have passed us all by. When will the killing stop?

KCA will be accepting donations tonight at their Seoul Food event at 8 p.m. in the Assembly Room in the William Pitt Union and every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in room 5201 of Posvar Hall.