Timothy Cho escaped North Korea twice and was imprisoned four times before he turned twenty. He now works in the UK Parliament on N. Korea

About the talk:

Reflecting on his past, Timothy shares: "Living in totalitarian North Korea, I didn't know who I was, what choices I had, what I loved, or what my dreams were. The past 17 years of living in democratic Britain and pursuing education have helped me discover my identity, passions, and the values I stand for — our intrinsic democratic principles of freedom of faith, expression, speech and opportunity."

Timothy Cho was born in North Korea and escaped twice. Before he turned twenty he had been arrested and imprisoned four times, in China and in North Korea itself. He has now lived in the UK for seventeen years, studied international relations at Salford and Liverpool, and went on to work in Westminster, where he serves as Secretariat of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea. He has spoken at four sessions of the UN Human Rights Council.

The talk opens with personal experience, from growing up in the "enemy class" to the escapes and the years in detention, and then turns to the work he does now. A large part of it deals with refugee issues: how governments decide who counts as a refugee, who falls outside that definition, and what happens to the people caught in between. From there he looks at the war in Ukraine, how it has reshaped that debate across Europe, and what it has shown about the limits of human rights protection once it meets state interest. He closes on what all of this means for contemporary international relations, and whether the postwar framework still works and for whom.

The talk is aimed at students and researchers in politics, international relations, law, journalism and related fields, though no background knowledge is needed. It runs for 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of open discussion and questions.

About the speaker:

Timothy Cho is a two-time escapee who endured imprisonment on four occasions in China and North Korea. After his parents fled North Korea, he became a homeless member of the "enemy class" - a persecuted group comprising families of regime defectors who are systematically denied opportunities. Since resettling in the United Kingdom, he has earned a BA in International Relations and Politics from the University of Salford and an MA in International Relations and Security from the University of Liverpool.

In 2023, Timothy was honoured with Alumni Awards from the University of Liverpool and the University of Salford, and received a Ministerial Award from South Korea's Ministry of Unification. He served as an aide to Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton in 2018–2019 and currently serves as the Secretariat of the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea. Timothy is also an Open Doors UK & Northern Ireland Spokesperson for North Korea and an Ambassador for Aid to the Church in Need, advocating for persecuted Christians and promoting religious freedom around the world.

He stood as a candidate in four UK Local Elections, in May 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2026. He is a regular media spokesperson and contributor, engaging with national and international media outlets while frequently speaking at conferences in the UK and internationally. His engagements include the 49th, 52nd, 55th and 60th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the DPRK, as well as at the UK Parliament, the EU Parliament, and other national Parliaments, where he has addressed human rights abuses, political and religious persecution in North Korea and other nations.

Description supplied by the event organiser.