June 30, 2001

Please briefly introduce yourself.

I was born in 1958, at the 10th of February in Duesseldorf in former West Germany as the only son of an ordinary worker. In school I was interested in social affairs, politics, journalism, history and of course, human rights and “peace on earth.”

The only thing I did not learn in school was the human body, operation and how to behave in emergency cases, so I studied medicine. But I disliked the way of studying - only science - no care for the human being.

After my final exam in 1985 I lived one and a half years (maybe I`m actually addicted to this period and I am still counting my days in Seoul) on Maldives Island in the Indian Ocean. I was an emergency doctor for the tourists and the inhabitants of the islands there. (see German newspapers about this very special story).

On Maldives Island I met my future wife (a German tourist) and we married in Germany. Having a “normal” family-life with four sons and my own private office as a general physician, I lived for ten years in Goettingen from 1989 to 1999.

Very early I argued with the German health authorities about the way of health care. I think nowadays medicine is very “unhealthy” because it does not care about the human being. So I arranged several protest demonstrations together with my patients (the very first ever in Germany - also see German newspaper articles) and soon after I was called “the rebellious doctor”. My wife was not amused about my methods (trying to get the attention of the media even with “crazy” actions) and so we divorced in 1999.

I joined the NGO “Cap Anamur - German Emergency Doctors” in order to do some humanitarian aid work. For destinations I was offered either the South of Sudan or North Korea. Because in the whole of Germany there was no travel guide available about North Korea, I decided to go to this unknown place.

How did you become involved with human rights for North Korea?

Even with my wide access to people in North Korea because of my friendship medal, I was not allowed to see behind the curtain of silence in this country. Like all the other foreigners, we were never allowed to look into any prison camp or the like. We were fooled like idiots in regards to the cruel reality of this place.

But my main medical diagnosis in this country was that all the people suffer from depression, from real burn-out syndrome, and also that they are all extremely afraid. I was never allowed to ask why and when I tried they refused to answer - extremely terrified.

In November 2000 - when I found an obviously tortured soldier on the middle of the road from Pyongyang to Puktschang - the situation changed. Here was the evil truth and I asked myself about all the reports on concentration camps in North Korea. I wanted to get more information - but there was no chance from inside. So I decided to start more “provocations” with my “Statement of Humanitaren Principles,” and finally I was expelled. By meeting the refugees in Seoul and in China and finally all over the world, I faced the cruel reality for the first time.

What are the biggest human rights issues in North Korea today?

It’s a huge prison camp. Kim Jong-Il, the “Dear Leader,” is committing genocide. The mass starvation is man-made and is being used as a political weapon to suppress his own people.

Look into the “Criminal Law of DPRK,” article 45 ff. What are the so-called “reform institutions”?

The lack of freedom regarding press, movement, speech, and so on. All the people are brainwashed by constant propaganda. All the people are observed even by their own family members and are extremely afraid. All the people are concerned about their family members when there is any criticism - that they will all be deported to a “concentration camp.” All the refugees are talking about these “concentration camps” - only rumours? We have to prove it - otherwise we are all responsible.

Please share any progress that has been made with the human rights situation in NK.

Absolutely no progress. According to all the refugees I’ve talked to and according to my former colleagues in Pyongyang, the whole situation for the ordinary people in North Korea is even getting worser.

What can and should be done to address the human rights problems of NK?

Inform! Engage, discuss, exchange, provoke! Disturb, argue, negotiate, mobilize! Confuse….

I believe in teamwork, in different approaches. So I can even support the “sunshine policy” - as o n e possible p a r t of any strategy. But I do not agree with any policy that suppresses information about human rights violations in North Korea.

Try to get the attention of the world - nobody knows - so nobody can care.

When there is no normal way to get this attention - try the unusual: hunger sit-in in front of the Chinese Embassy (Olympics!); set up refugee camps at the Chinese-North Korean border; take provoctive acts at the border - jump over the fence - get arrested…

What are your current activities?

I think about all the above mentioned ones - even the “crazy” ones. But after I failed with all these “crazy” actions in Germany as a rebellious doctor and in Panmunjom (when I tried to cross the DMZ to donate food to the North), I refused to do so a third time.

So I want to act more strategically and seriously: Publish a second book in Japan, write to the newspapers, speak to the journalists, engage in active work in order to rescue the refugees at the border - even install a refugee camp and so on. When all of these actions do not work I will try the “crazy” ones again.

Please share some memorable experiences during your work for NK human rights.

Sitting together with some North Korean refugees at the Chinese-North Korean border and discussing their plans to go to Mongolia, sitting in front of a map. And the next day hearing that most of them were caught by the Chinese police.

Helping one North Korean refugee in Bangkok (who had been deported back to North Korea after he was arrested by Russian guards) in order to bring him to Seoul or better to Washington so that he can testify about torture in a prison camp.

And again and again and again the ignorance of the South Korean press.

What is your advice to anyone interested in helping?

Inform, provoke, mobilize!…..

Believe in brainstorming. Nobody seems to know how to deal with North Korea - even the so-called “experts” in the U.S. So everything should be possible. Think the unbelievable - like in Germany just right before the “impossible” reunification. And the more “crazy” these ideas may be the better they may work. Create an international NGO.

Email: norbertvollertsen at yahoo dot com

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