On Tuesday, April 28^th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), will chair a congressional hearing on the human rights situation in North Korea.

                The human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains among the most severe and closed in the world. The government continues to maintain pervasive political control, including strict limits on expression, movement, and access to outside information, enforced through an extensive security apparatus and penal system.

                Human rights advocacy related to North Korea faces new challenges today, due to the changing conditions facing North Korean civilians, as well as the evolving international and regional environment affecting human rights work and information flows concerning the country.

WHAT: Congressional hearing on the evolving space for North Korean human rights movements and the obstacles they face, including political, legal, and security-related constraints.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 12:30 PM

WITNESSES: (Partial list)

• Tara O, Author, The Collapse of North Korea: Challenges, Planning and Geopolitics of Unification; Member of the Academic Council, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
•  Suzanne Scholte, Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition; Chair, Free North Korea Radio

WHERE: 2118 Rayburn House Office Building and livestreamed here

WHO: Co-Chairs of the TLHRC, other members of the Commission, and witnesses

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