Two South Korean cameramen won the Impact Award 2008, sponsored by Sony UK Ltd for outstanding freelance journalism in their film Korea: Out of the North, at the prestigious Rory Peck Awards ceremony on Thursday, 13 November.
Their prize honours the integrity of freelance cameramen in capturing humanitarian imagery that has had an impact internationally and led to a change in perception or policy. Korea: Out of the North was described as an absolutely stunning piece of television by members of the judging panel.
The film was originally aired as part of a BBC documentary in May 2008, but is due to be screened again on BBC World's documentary, Firing Line on 22 November. It follows North Korean refugees crossing the Tumen River into China in a desperate bid to escape North Korea and the human rights abuses they have experienced there.CSW is honoured to have put BBC journalist, Olenka Frenkiel in touch with our Korean friends, resulting in Jung In Taek and Han Yong Ho's film footage reaching a UK and a Worldwide audience.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) organized a showing of Korea: Out of the North in Parliament on Wednesday 12 November to highlight the plight of North Korean refugees to British politicians. The event was hosted by Lord Alton of Liverpool and was attended by other Parliamentarians. Lord Alton spoke of the importance of human rights issues raised by the film.
At the Rory Peck Awards ceremony on London's Southbank, cameraman Jung In Taek said: "I wanted to let the world know about the North Korean people, I never expected the world to pay so much attention'Everything is thanks to God."
CSW's Advocacy Director, Alexa Papadouris said: "It is with great excitement that CSW offers our warm congratulations to Jung In Taek and Han Yong Ho for their success in winning the Sony Impact Award. We are honoured to have played a small role in seeing this excellent film aired in the UK. CSW's hope is that through the publicity generated by this award, the terrible plight of North Korean refugees will finally receive serious attention from the international community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jung In Taek, Han Yong Ho, The Rory Peck Trust and Olenka Frenkiel for their role in highlighting North Korea's human rights violations in the British Parliament".