Suzanne Scholte
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Suzanne Scholte (born 1959,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
) is an American
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
activist and congressional candidate. She is the president of the Defense Forum Foundation. She is also the Vice Co-Chair of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and chairman of Free North Korea Radio. She has received many awards, including the
Seoul Peace Prize The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 as a biennial recognition with monetary award to commemorate the success of the 24th Summer Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea, an event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, cre ...
in 2008 and the Walter Judd Freedom Award in 2010, the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Sungnye Medal from the Republic of Korea in 2013, the Sanders Peace and Social Justice Award in 2014, and a Volunteer Service (Gold) Award from the President of the United States in 2014. She was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul in 2008.


Activism

The
Seoul Peace Prize The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 as a biennial recognition with monetary award to commemorate the success of the 24th Summer Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea, an event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, cre ...
award, instituted in 1990 and given biennially, was declared at the Korea Press Center to honor Scholte for the contributions she made to the cause of North Korean peoples' freedom and human rights and the
refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
of
Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...
. She also chairs the U.S.–Western Sahara Association. "I feel ashamed, but also, I feel honored. It is a great honor to receive this great prize even when I just did what I should do," she said. Scholte started her career as the youngest-ever chief-of-staff to a U.S. Member of Congress. Before promoting human rights in
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, she had worked for the promotion of human rights in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. In 2011, Scholte, as the president of the Defense Forum Foundation and the North Korea Freedom Coalition, started a project called Operation Rising Eagle to rescue 3 North Koreans stranded in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, mostly orphans who had fled there. The operation proved successful, with the three children given asylum in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as refugees in 2012. Scholte has since been lobbying with the U.S. government to expedite the process of providing asylum to North Korean refugees. As chairman of Free North Korea Radio, Scholte has worked with a team of
North Korean defectors People defect from North Korea for political, material, and personal reasons. Defectors flee to various countries, mainly South Korea. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers". To ...
led by Kim Seong-min to broadcast outside news and information into North Korea. As chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, Scholte organizes the annual North Korea Freedom Week to promote the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people, which has been held at the end of April every year since 2004. She also organizes the annual Save North Korean Refugees Day, which is a worldwide event held every September 24 to mark the day the People’s Republic of China became a signatory to the Refugee Convention, an agreement it violates by forcefully repatriating North Koreans back to North Korea.


2014 congressional campaign

In 2014, Scholte announced her intention to run for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
in
Virginia's 11th congressional district Virginia's 11th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Situated in the Northern Virginia suburbs, the district comprises most of Fairfax County and the entirety of Fairfax City. The district ...
. She won the nomination at a convention on May 11, 2014, and lost against the incumbent
Gerry Connolly Gerald Edward Connolly (March 30, 1950 – May 21, 2025) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district from 2009 until his death in 2025. A Democrat, he was first elected in 2008 ...
in the November election.


Personal life

Scholte graduated from the
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...
,
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, and received an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Koshin University,
Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. She is married to Chadwick R. Gore and has three sons.


See also

* Free North Korea Radio *
Human Rights in North Korea The human rights record of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea is often considered to be the worst in the world and has been globally condemned, with the United Nations and groups such as Human Rights Watch and Freedom House h ...
* Park Sang-hak


References


External links


Free North Korea Radio

Defense Forum Foundation

Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scholte, Suzanne 1959 births Living people Virginia Republicans College of William & Mary alumni American human rights activists American women human rights activists