북한에 밀입국하여 전 세계를 깜짝 놀라게 한 로버트 박의 기자회견 내용을 번역하였습니다.

윤용 (부추연 대표)

로이터 통신 기자 : 왜 북한으로 밀입국 하려고 하는가?

로버트 박 : 북한의 양민 학살은 전 세계 톱이다. 북한은 매일 1,000 여 명씩 굶겨죽이고 있다. 이는 학살이다. 북한은 그동안 엄청난 식량 원조를 받았으나 식량을 빼돌리며 인민들을 굶겨 죽였다. 이는 학살 행위이다. 북한은 그 뿐만 아니라 나치독일 수용소를 방불 하는 살인적인 수용소를 여러 개 가지고 있다.

북한의 대량 학살을 막아야 할 나라들이 이상하게도 침묵을 지키고 있다. 미국, 러시아, 중국, 일본 등은 남북한 분단의 책임자들인데도 북한 인권 문제에 입을 다물고 있으니 큰 죄악이다. 

북한은 대량 학살을 자행하고 있다. 북한은 핵 확산도 하고 북한 인민들을 아무 때나 학살하는 강제 수용소를 운영하고 있다. 북한 정부는 누구의 말도 안 듣기 때문에 우리 모두가 나서서 북한주민들을 해방시켜야 한다. 하루에 천여 명을 학살하고 있으므로 빨리 해방시켜야 한다.   

로이터통신 기자 : 북한에 밀입국 하면 엄청난 위험이 따를 텐데... 북한에 밀입국 한다고 북한의 인권이 개선되리라고 생각하나?

로버트 박 : 나는 북한에서 풀려나지 않을 것이다. 오바마 대통령은 나를 구해주지 말라. 나를 석방하기 위하여 북한과 돈으로 흥정하지 마라. 나는 북한이 강제수용소를 철폐할 때까지 수용소에 들어가 있을 것이고 그들과 함께 죽겠다. 나는 기독교인이다. 예수님은 핍박 받는 자들을 위해 나서라고 하셨다. 그래서 북한에 밀입국 하는 것이다. 우리는 아무 죄 없이 죽음을 당하는 피수용자들을 대신하여 십자가를 져야 한다.

나는 김정일이 차라리 나를 죽이기를 원한다. 나를 죽이면 북한의 인권 탄압 사실이 전 세계에 알려지는 계기가 될 것이다. 오바마 대통령은 노벨평화상 까지 수상했는데 북한 인권문제에 침묵하다니 범죄행위다.

전 세계 지도자들은 북한 인권 문제에 침묵하는 것에 대하여 회개하여야 하고 한국 교회도 회개하여야 한다. 더 이상 지체할 수 없다. 한국 국민들은 모두 나서서 북한의 대량학살을 종식시켜야 한다.

나는 원래 다음 달에 북한에 들어가려고 하였으나 나의 발길을 막는 사람들이 있다는 사실을 알고 오늘 당장 북한에 들어가기로 작정하였다. 북한 문제는 개인적인 문제가 아니고 전 세계인의 문제이며 책무이다. 우리 모두 북한의 학정을 규탄하고 들고 일어나야 한다.

나는 결혼하여 행복하게 살고 싶지만 북한에 들어가면 오래 살지 못할 것 같다. 인류를 사랑하시는 예수님은 북한주민들이 억 울하게 죽어가는 것을 바라지 않기 때문에 내가 몸으로 막으려 들어가는 것이다.  

로이터 통신 기자 : 북한에 들어가면 즉시 구속될 텐데 미국 등 여러 나라에서 구명운동을 펼 것 같은가?

로버트 박 : 나는 북한을 변화시키려고 북한에 들어간다. 나는 어린이들 과 성인 남녀의 마구잡이 학살을 막기 위해 북한에 들어간다. 북한이 대량 학살을 계속하고 있기 때문에 학살을 몸으로 막기 위해 북한에 들어간다. 애처롭게도 북한 주민들은 쇠뇌를 당하여 북한 정권이 옳은지 그른지를 판단하지 못하고 있다.

나는 북한 인권단체와 다르다. 나는 내 몸으로 북한주민을 구출 하려고 들어간다. 하느님은 전 세계가 합심하여 북한의 대량학살 을 저지하기를 원하기 때문에 그렇게 될 것이고 남북한 통일이 이루어질 것이다.

북한의 대량학살을 규탄하는 거국적인 운동이 일어나야 함에도 일어나지 않기 때문에 나 혼자 만이라도 이를 항의하려고 북한에 들어간다.

작년에 한국에서 수십만 명이 아무 이상이 없는 미국 소고기를 규탄하는 시위를 벌이면서도 매일 수천 명을 굶겨 죽이고 때려죽이는 김정일을 규탄하는 시위는 하지 않았다.

한국은 북한 문제를 놓고 여야가 이권 다툼을 하고 논쟁만 벌이고 있고 국민들이 정치놀음에 이용당하고 있다. 이래가지고는 북 한의 만행을 중단시킬 수 없다.

내가 북한에서 죽으면 한국의 교회와 인권 단체가 반성할 것이다.

로이터 통신 기자 : 북한에 들어가면 구속될 게 뻔한데.. 김정일은 얼마 전 북한에서 납치된 미국의 두 여기자를 이용해 먹었고 당신도 이 용하지 않을까?

로버트 박 : 그럴 가능성이 있기 때문에 오랫동안 망설이다가 잘 아는 탈북 여성으로부터 북한에 밀입국 하면 북한을 해방시키는 데 큰 힘 이 된다는 사실을 알게 되어 북한에 들어가기로 한 것이다. 미국 여기자 두 명은 거액의 몸값을 치루고 금방 풀려난 후 북한의 인권에 침묵하고 있기 때문에 북한의 인권이 더욱 심각해지고 있다.

북한을 이런 식으로 다루다니 통탄할 일이다. 여기자들과 나는 근본적으로 다르다. 여기자 두 명은 납치당하여 억류되었지만 나 는 내 발로 걸어 들어가 억류되려고 한다. 전 세계 지도자들에게 고한다. 절대로 나를 돈으로 맞바꾸지 말고 북한 수용소 철폐를 외치라고..

번역 : 윤용

        부추연 대표

        전 고려대 신방과 교수

 

(아래는 로이터 통신 기자와 로버트 박의 기자회견 원문)





Interview with North Korea

border crosser Robert Park

 (Photographs by Lee Jae-won)

 

North Korea said on Tuesday it had  detained a U.S. citizen who entered its territory, apparently confirming a report that an American activist crossed into the

state to raise awareness about Pyongyang’s human rights abuses.   Robert Park, 28, walked over the frozen  Tumen river from

China and into the North last Friday, other activists said. The Korean-American told Reuters ahead of the crossing that it was his duty as a

Christian to make the journey and that he was carrying a letter calling on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to step down.

Park had an exclusive interview with Reuters last week before starting on his journey. The following are excerpts from the conversation. He requested that the comments be held until he was in North Korea. 

Reuters: Why are you planning to go into North Korea?

Robert Park: The North Korean human rights crisis by murder rate is the worst in the world. An estimated 1,000 people a day die by starvation and starvation is a murder case. North Korea has been sent more food aid than any nation in the world but the food has not gone to the people who need it. So this is murder.

But not only that, there are concentration camps in North Korea that are of the same brutality as in Nazi Germany.

Responsible governments are completely silent about the issue. The United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea have a huge responsibility to speak out about this because all these nations played a role the arbitrary division of the Koreas, where not a single Korean was consulted. Yet the lives of these people are of no issue to these governments. That is a crime. It is a huge crime

What is happening in North Korea is genocide. We know there are legitimate fears about what could happen through nuclear weapons. But a nation that runs concentration camps, a nation that kills men, women and children without any kind of restraint can never be trusted.

We believe the resolution to this whole crisiss simply addressing North Korea honestly about this has to change.

We do not hate people. I am Christian, but I do have to say that this is not a legitimate government. We cannot talk to North Korea as if it is a legitimate government, but we need to liberate North Korea. We need to have a vision for the unification of Korea. It has to happen immediately because people are dying by the thousands every single day.

Reuters: By going into North Korea, how can you change this? You are going in well aware of the dangers

Park: My demand is that I do not want to be released. I don’t want President Obama to come and pay to get me out. But I want the North Korean people to be free. Until the concentration camps are liberated, I do not want to come out. If I have to die with them, I will. I am Christian and it says in the Bible that we must love the lost. We must love the poor and the needy. We must love them more than ourselves.

(For) these innocent men, women and children, as Christians, we need to take the cross for them. The cross means that we sacrifice our lives for the redemption of others.

I am going in for the sake of the lives of the North Korean people. And if he (Kim Jong-il) kills me, in a sense, I realize this is better. Then the governments of the world will become more prone to say something, and more embarrassed and more forced to make a statement.

This is serious and it is a crime that America is committing against the North Korean people by not speaking out against this. President Obama just won the Nobel Peace Prize and I love President Obama and the American government, but they are committing a serious crime.

Through the media and through sacrifice, we are looking for the global leaders to be forced to give an account. There is no excuse.

We also want the church to repent. The South Korean church needs to repent. There has been so much playing around and honestly, there is no time to play games. The priority of every single person in South Korea must be to end this holocaust of lives.

I was going to go next month but what happened was that here in Korea there has been certain things that have endangered my going next month. That is why I am going right now. Because certain people have found out and are trying to prevent me from going.

Initially Christmas Day was what they were thinking of. It is the coldest time. It is the most difficult time for me to go physically and also on Christmas Day it is such a symbolic day. Worldwide is the most renowned day. It is the happiest day for most of the world but for North Korea, it is like hell.

I have to share their suffering. That is why I am asking every person who cares about North Korea, let us arise and let us demonstrate. Let us see mass demonstrations. This is not a personal agenda.

I think I may not live much longer. My personal desire is to be married and to have a future. I am laying that all down because of Jesus Christ and because God loves these people, he does not want them to die.

Reuters: Do you think you will be able to get support from governments including the United States because you are making this choice on your own, fully aware of what may well happen?

Park: I want Kim Jong-il and the North Korean government to know that I love them. I love all these people. I am going in because it has to change, for the sake of the children, the men and the women who are being brutally murdered.

But as long as this genocide continues, I have no choice. I have great sorrow for Kim Jong-il. The North Korean people have been brainwashed from youth and they do not know what the truth is.

I had a vision on July 27, which was the beginning of the demonstration movement. I am not someone who was a part of the human rights movement officially. I was someone who was praying and sharing in the physical help of refugees one by one. I had a vision where God revealed that there needs to be a mass demonstration movement for North Korean human rights. That there will be liberation of the North Korean people. There will be a global compensation movement for a measurable loss and suffering. There will be calls for unification. And there will be reconciliation between North and South Koreans.

I am making this choice on my own because it is too slow right now. There has never been a mass demonstration for North Korean human rights and there needs to be.

Last year, there were hundreds of thousands of people in South Korea demonstrating for this ridiculous thing about the kind of beef we were getting in South Korea. There was nothing to it. What does it say about our generation that we can be mobilised to demonstrate about the kind of beef we are getting and we cannot demonstrate for people who are our own kin who are dying by the thousands every day for no reason at all.

One of the issues in South Korea is that there has been a competition among North Korean human rights groups. People are saying that ‘I want to be in the leadership’. It is ridiculous. With that kind of political fighting, trying to be number one, there will never be mass demonstrations because people are selling the issue for their own gain. I am not saying that everyone is doing that.

My hope is that through going to North Korea, my sacrifice, that there will be a profound repentance among the church and also among human rights ministries – that there will not longer be quarrelling and competition.

Reuters: Do you see the possibility of your imprisonment helping Kim Jong-il. The North Korean leaders have used others, like the U.S journalists, who have crossed into its territory as bargaining chips. Do you see your actions as having the potential to help the North Korean leaders you want to see removed?

Park: I am aware of this and have been hesitating for a long time.  As a result of what happened to the journalists, I was speaking to a refugee friend of mine, she said it was one of the best things that happened for North Korea’s liberation. This was shortly after it happened and they were freed. But now it has become worse because the journalists have not spoken out about the human rights crisis. They were ransomed for a lot of money and they went home and wrote a book.

if I allow North Koreas to be like this. The difference with these journalists is that they were kidnapped against their will. I am going in saying either kill me or take me. I am saying to the governments of the world, do not try to ransom me out but address the human rightscrisis.