Jay Lefkowitz Quotations

We spoke about the importance of raising international consciousness on the issue of human rights in North Korea and the terrible deprivation of human rights by that regime.

I am hopeful and really confident that we are at a turning point in our ability to bring North Korean refugees here.

With the help of foreign governments, ... we can show the people of North Korea that there is a much brighter future for them.

We will be in a position relatively soon to welcome North Korean refugees in the United States.

The United States has a tradition of being a refuge to vulnerable people seeking haven from despotic regimes, and we will do our part to help this vulnerable population.

A lot of what goes on over there is shrouded in such secrecy. The North Koreans have made it very, very hard to get out. Over the years, a lot of people have been sent back over the border. In this instance, we had a name. It was very appropriate for the international community to call it out.

The issue of human rights is a national security issue for us and while we have lots of issues to address with North Korea and we have lots of issues to address with China, the prism through which we evaluate their conduct is very much a human rights prism.

He's taken a very personal interest and a fairly significant interest in the issue of human rights. He fundamentally believes the character of the North Korean regime is defined by its human rights conduct.