Today, a new generation of North Koreans who grew up with a hybrid awareness of markets and illicit foreign media is driving a quiet paradigm shift against the regime’s extreme tightening of ideological control. This panel explores the frontlines of this information warfare. Moving beyond tragic defector narratives, three highly accomplished next-generation leaders will deliver analytical perspectives on the psychological evolution of North Korean youth, cutting-edge strategies for non-traditional information influx, and how these internal dynamics are destabilizing totalitarian control.
Featured Speakers
Hyunseung Lee, Founder, North Korea Young Leaders Assembly and Lead Strategist, Global Peace Foundation
Hyun-Seung Lee is a North Korean escapee and influential policy strategist with deep firsthand experience in the DPRK’s military, youth leadership, and international trade networks. A former sergeant in North Korea’s elite Special Forces and chairman of the Kim Il-sung Socialist Youth League in Dalian, China, he was actively involved in the regime’s overseas trade operations, particularly in shipping and mining sectors with China. Following the political purges after the execution of Jang Song-thaek, Hyun-Seung defected in late 2014. Since arriving in freedom, he has emerged as a prominent advocate for North Korean human rights and a leading voice on unification policy. He currently serves as Lead Strategist at the Global Peace Foundation, where he designs and leads initiatives focused on Korean unification, freedom of information, and leadership development. He is also the founder of the North Korean Young Leaders Assembly (NKYLA), a groundbreaking program that prepares young North Korean escapees to engage directly with policymakers, diplomats, and experts in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations.
Gumhyok Kim, Spokesperson, People Power Party and Fulbright Scholar, University of Washington
Gumhyok Kim was born in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 1991, and raised as a member of the country’s elite class. He entered Kim Il Sung University before being sent to Beijing in 2010 for further studies. It was there, through conversations with Western students and access to the internet, that he first learned the devastating truths about North Korea, and became determined to awaken others to these realities. He began secretly discussing human rights and democracy with fellow North Korean students in Beijing, hoping to lay the groundwork for transforming North Korea into a normal country. When his activities were discovered by North Korean authorities, he fled to South Korea in 2012 to avoid arrest. Today, Gumhyok is a prominent voice on North Korean issues as a television news commentator, Radio Free Asia analyst, human rights activist, and YouTube creator with over 150,000 subscribers.
Jihyang Kim, Researcher and Fulbright Scholar, University of Illinois Chicago
Jihyang Kim is a North Korean defector, a 2025–2027 Fulbright Scholar, and a graduate student in Education at the University of Illinois Chicago. Born and raised in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, North Korea, she escaped the regime with her young son in 2016 following the severe economic hardship caused by the 2009 currency reform. After resettling in South Korea, she overcame an extremely limited elementary-level education received in North Korea to excel academically, earning multiple awards and leadership recognition. Her research focuses on literacy development, reading difficulties, and educational equity for students from diverse and marginalized backgrounds. In addition to her academic pursuits, Jihyang has been an active public speaker and advocate, raising awareness about the realities of North Korean defectors and human rights issues in North Korea.
Martyn Williams, Senior Fellow, Stimson Center and 38 North
Martyn Williams is a Senior Fellow with the Stimson Center, where he works primarily with the 38 North project. His primary interests are in North Korea’s technology, infrastructure, broadcasting system and propaganda. He launched the North Korea Tech website in 2010 and has closely followed the country’s steps onto the global Internet.
Jenny Town, Senior Fellow, Stimson Center and Director, 38 North (Moderator)
Jenny Town is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of 38 North. Her areas of expertise include North Korea, US-DPRK relations, US-ROK alliance relations and extended deterrence, and Northeast Asia regional security. She was named one of Worth Magazine’s “Groundbreakers 2020: 50 Women Changing the World” and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2019 for her role in co-founding and managing 38 North, which provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
