had signed the convention on people with disabilities. they had made made progress summer working with nongovernmental organizations to deal with thewt issue of people disabilities. when the the british hosted the olympics four years ago there were a few south korean disabled athletes who participated in the paralympics. so so the north koreans are sensitive, the problem is, because of the nature of the political system they are not willing to go very far in terms of opening up access to information. they'renf not willing to go very far in terms of allowing critiques of the government. they're willing to go little bit that not all the way. we need to continue to push them. there are areas where there vulnerable on the human rights issues and we need to press them on that. >> you are active in a group called an k in the usa.

were you afraid initially to speak out? why is it important for north korean escapees to tell theirr stories in public?tant for north >> first, i can answer yes, we as a north korean we are afraid of speaking out to the public.c. there can be many reasons, but first to be afraid about our relatives or family members who are still living in north korea. but the thought is our mission because we are survivors. we live in this free country and we are enjoying this freedom. but we do not want to stop whent

and our sufferings in our life here. we want to let people know from the world and we want to let people hear our stories and trying to help more north koreans who are still suffering in north korea. the most difficult thing for my sister and i is at night we can we still think about our family members who already passed away. we believe that the world know about this before may be the world can do something tof prevent this kind of tyranny. and then my family members another north korean refugees like 300,000 people, those people are individuals like moms and dads and younger brothers. they should not have to die.

i strongly believe that during the holocaust like people do not know about the holocaust andnd later on we found out and try to help them. but the current holocaust is happening in north korea. so we have to face and we have to open our ears to current holocaust and trying to stop this more tragic tyranny for the future. that is why we feel this is our mission and very important for us to tell her story. [applause] >> joseph can you talk about your goals, what your intent for the future and how to get there? >> the goal, yes and no, i think

the problem is that i see many different paths but have a hard time deciding which ones i want to choose.ve and it changes every day, sometimes i feel like like working in like the best way to bring up the awareness of human like goir sometimes i feel like maybe i should serve in government and make policy recommendation. and sometimes i think of other things going to south korea or china to help others.. so i think it changes every time. and i'm fine with that while i'm in college. in terms of my dream, i think when i'm in my 50s or 60sy then i think i know my dream is, and i think, i hope by the time i am 50 in my 50s i do not

have to worry about human rights issues in the world. but also north korea mostly. ha for that reason i hope that i do not have to think about these challenging policies but also what other experts are telling me. so i hope by the time i have 50 that i'll be at a high school level or college setting where i can use my intellectual capacity along. i would love to teach political philosophy. i think that would be i think i would be happy talking to students. >> you can teach about yourself. and you grace? i'll? i'll bite your goals for the future?

>> while we are adjusting inla american culture and the layers of learning, it is is changingng our dreams and goals every day. but originally i found out i work at the dental office as a assistant and every day i see are doctors performing the surgeries for patients. so i feel very happy when i see those patients come back and show their appreciation to our doctors. i also think about in north korea we do not have a lot of medical treatments and dental treatments. and if i came to to america i never thought about dental treatment.re so maybe this is a good way to pursue my goal as a dentist and then once the north korea and south korea are united or the regime falls maybe there's a

chance to go to north korea and help a lot of elders and children to avoid those tooth pain. so that is my current goal, to be a dentist. [applause] >> ambassador, thank you for your service. thank really want to thank joseph and grace for your example of courage and the pursuit of freedom. it is really, really inspiring. thank you so much. [applause] here's a look at a primetime schedule on the scene span network. starting at a pmi eastern on c-span we remember the passive of several political figures in 2016 including nancy reagan, supreme court justice

antonin scalia and news anchor gwen -- it's book tv with authors discussing books of 2016. on c-span three, american on c-span three, american history tv with programs in world war ii. >> join us on tuesday for live coverage of the opening day of the new congress. watch the official swearing-in of the new and reelected members of the house and senate. and the election of the speaker of the house. our altered live coverage of the day's events from capitol hill begins at 7:0d c-span.org. you can listen to it for free on the free c-span radio app. >> in 2015 c-span interviewed several new members of congress following the 2016 election we spoke with some of those members again talking about their first terms, reaction to the presidential election and other issues. will will show you an

interview with nebraska democratic congressman, brad ashford. >> the campaign is unfolding to sense republicans are moving to the rights and your party moving? >> i don't know if republicans are moving to the right particularly. i think the democrats need to be careful. and they have already lost great swaths in the middle of the country. by not really appealing to people in nebraska for example. when bob care ran for the united states senate the number of democrats of republicans is just a handful, now it is 200,000. so my sense is that john boehner is not that far right conservative republican. he's a pragmatist. i think some of the candidates,

jeb bush for example i really admired his father, he's a very appealing candidate. think of the democrats need to bring themselves back into the center of the voting population like bill clinton did, bill clinton was a master at it. >> with congressman brad ashford which is showed a clip tour viewers of our interview in 2015 we said democrats were losing some of their appeal in the middle of the country and republicans back then had a move that far to the right. a snapshot from 2015, where do you think the party standout 2016? >> stand now 2016? >> do i look any younger? i think the trump phenomenon could not of been predicted in

early 2015. i think the democratic party does need to get back to the center and the need to talk to rackley talk directly to the needs of working people. that means specific it clear messaging that talks about what we as a party stand regarding work, your children, college education, all of those issues that affect families. i think the messaging has to change and be certainly more pragmatic. when i first came into office the real issue was destroying isis. that is forever but it was focused more or less. now that seems to be pivoting away a little bit. >> you lose a close election this year, tell us about the things you feel you got done and you're proud of and some of the things that are left undone. >> i think unquestionably some things for the district the runway at the air force base is a local issue but it's a national security issue.

the developing a center for infectious disease research and training, those are big things and working on hospital for the virginia. those are localized kinds of things. west national implications. i think as i look back on it was my time on them services committee spending three trips to the middle east and changing the direction on the fight against isis by funding the military in a more robust manner. joining in a nonpartisan way, increasing the air war against isis, those kinds of things happen with the last few years. i think those are the accomplishments for the entire team. i was part of it and proud to be a part of it. >> as you leave congress, what is your best guidance for your successor as he comes in? >> you have to be independent. i think being being from a small state especially early in your

career, i felt going in that i wanted to look at the issue in front of me not necessarily the party solution to the problem. i think that served me well. we have been named the fifth most bipartisan member. i think that's what nebraskans want. i think that is the base level stanford nebraska members. so my successor is a good guy, he had a great career and the military. i. i think you'd be wise to continue on the tradition. but, i will leave it up to him. >> you talked in the 2015 interview about 15 interview about fundraising. two years) the blink of an eye. tell us about how difficult the fundraising aspect of it. >> it takes away dramatically from what should be the focus here. it's not so much the actual fundraising itself, but the pressure to fund raise. everything raise. everything morphs into that.

everything political more sentiment. whether it is a two-year term. i think what it is a citizens united impact on allowing money to flow into elections without any idea of where the money is coming from. so then the campaign for example at the end of the day it wasn't money raised by my opponent that influence election, it was exorbitant sum of money that came in from outside groups to the leadership pack on the republican side. you have millions of dollars. i could never raise enough money to compete against that. we had groups that came in to support us too, but the lesson from the is that we have to ratchet that down somehow. i know it's a constitutional problem in the course will have to test that again. i think we've gone way too far on having political money raising us a free speech issue. i don't think it is. i takes the candidates out of

the game in many respects. and it gives the ball to these outside groups. >> in terms of the day-to-day operation in the house, while would be your suggestion for how to change the process on capitol hill? >> i come from a nonpartisan state. it's so different. we don't have a rules committee in a traditional sense of the congress. so bills come out of committee and moved to the floor. i know that can be done in the congress, it is not done now. i think a much more free-flowing process of legislation to the committee structure is the best way to go. an eye movement we could get back to the committee as having more control over how the debate occurs on the floor without the intervention of the rules committee. george norris and going back to

19 oh eight led the effort against speaker cannon. to restrict the power of the speaker and decide what legislation comes to the floor. i think what that place again. >> was québec to politics for mom. was it like to campaign during this intense presidential campaign? >> my campaign started the day i got here. my opponent announced that he was going to run a we needed a change, even though i had yet to find my apartment or office. i think they campaigning takes way too much time and effort away from the process of governing, forever but in the house. so how do we do that? i have a rule, and we talked

about it and that is you never work against the people you work with. and so i would no more work against a pub republican and a election than the man and on moon. if i'm working with the republican were any republican, i simply simply would not work against them. i think this idea of republican leadership and democratic leadership is supporting their candidates, but in in a way money raised inside in the activity set takes actual member out of the process. it disrupts the relationships that exist between members just because their people. we take the human element out and we interpose this counterintuitive because your intuition is to make friends and develop relationships. this process of campaigning interviews dramatically.

there is no turnover in the house, very little. i'm. i'm one of the very few turnover people. it's always going to be a tough district for democrats. so i don't see what everybody gains by these kinds of tactics. >> what is been the hardest part of being a member of congress? >> i suppose the hardest part mainly it's just the slowness of the process and not being able -- i'm used to 16 years in nebraska are big issues were dealt with. never perfectly because perfection is the enemy of good, but the fact that we could do an infrastructure grilled bell, and immigration bill. we need we need infrastructure reform and a immigration bill. we need tax reform and we need to think about how we're going to look at the world globally.

those are huge issues that affect us today. we don't do anything about it. some believable to me. we did not shut the government down, we accomplish that. >> lastly, what is next. >> i would love to come back someday, i love doing this, love legislating love legislating and that's what i do, so someday maybe the opportunity will arise right can continue to serve. i just love serving my state, my people my constituents. it's gratifying i love it. i love the issues so someday, if not advise been engaged in public service in omaha one way or the other. so i'm sure there's something they need me to do when i get back. >> congressman, best of luck and thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> following the 2016 election we spoke with new jersey

congressman tom mcarthur, c-span had interviewed him and other members of congress in 2015 was the 114 congress 14 congress began. we'll show you the most recent interview beginning with a clip from 2015. >> we sun articles saying that you have a regular practice of entering the house chamber on the democratic side what you do that? >> i started to do, sometimes you go and on one side and sometime on the other side but i stop and talk to people. never sent which is been really most of my time here i just do it every time because i see my republican colleagues at different events, social and political events, we convene as a republican congress and i have

plenty of opportunity to be with my republican colleagues but less so with my democratic colleagues. one of the the things i observed during the orientation process is that partisanship is built into the dna. if you are not intentional about overcoming it you just slip into being a republican or democrat with little interaction. it may seem like a simple gesture but for me it's an opportunity get to know people. >> can be seen others trying to make that intentional effort of bipartisanship? >> i think there's classmates of mine who came in at the same time who believe that we are sent here to make the place work. he simply cannot do that if you only focus on your party. you can get away with it some of the time on issues that have broad support across party lines. but on issues where could could go one way or another, if you don't cultivate real, genuine relationships with people in the other party, then

i think those are lost moments. >> congressman from new jersey, we showed our viewers a conversation about your efforts on bipartisanship. we headed to the 10015th congress with republicans in control of the house and senate and now republican president. what should bipartisan look like and what did you learn what is it look like going into the 100 15th? >> i still do that two years later. i think bipartisanship means working together with people who don't always see things the same way. think it's really important the republicans, now that we control congress and the white house in my view we have to make sure to be careful to do that. the members hear from the other side also represent about

750,000 people of peace. we cannot have half of our country angry with our direction and the other half happy with it. we have to find ways to work together. i intend to do that in this next congress. >> something that resonated for you, you come off election winning in a district that president obama had won twice in a row, 2008 in 2012. and donald trump thousand 12. and donald trump wins that district and un, what is going on. >> that's a good question. was going on in my district is what's going on across america. we have people that see things differently, that doesn't mean to make them enemies. half my district i have farmer republicans and democrats and in the other half i have farmer democrats and republicans. i won both of those counties. i did it by making sure that i paid attention to what people on both sides of the aisle insist

on. clearly donald trump, president-elect trump, clearly presented a path that appeal to enough americans that he has been elected. and we have to respect that, but we also need to be careful to work with both sides make sure government actually works for all of the people. and i'm committed to that in the next congress. >> over some the legislative efforts that were your big successes in the 100 14th and some the constituent efforts? >> will start the second part of the question because it comes first. i have to serve, as every member of congress does, we have to remember constituents first and foremost. they sent us here and while we represent the whole country look after the whole country we very specifically represent the 750,000 people that are back home. i have been very accessible,

whenever i am back in new jersey i'm out and about. i have a lot of town halls, coffees with the congressman and just made myself accessible. we. we have recovered about $4 million for constituents on individual casework. we have open thousands of cases and i will continue to do that. we have had forms on everything from the opiate abuse problem which is rampant in my area, to sandy relief efforts that have not gone well. first and foremost is constituent service. on the legislative side i am happy with the heroine goals that we have passed, the comprehensive recovery act. i continued continue to work with the opiate task force to try to work with that. and i am thrilled with the preservation and i will continue

to work at that. >> on the sandy efforts in our original interview you are critical of fema on their efforts towards helping families in new jersey and your district in particular, where do things stand now? >> i'm still critical of fema. i still have thousands of people that have not gotten a fair shake from the federal government, the very agency that was set up to help victims and these people are still fighting the fight. i don't think there's been enough accountability. it's one of my legislative priorities to make sure that part of fema is being reauthorized and i want to be at the table during that reauthorization, i want to make sure there is more accountability make sure we continue thave a federal backstop that helps people. >> heading into the hundred 15th congress what you plan to do differently?

>> that's a good question. i certainly intend to continue in the things we talk about with bipartisan efforts focused on strong, national security, maybe i intend to get more focused on some of the national flood relief issues. i think there is more than needs to be done in the heroine abuse. i'm very concerned about that. that might be taken a deeper dive into some of the things that i started in the first congress. >> when the congress comes in in january what you think should be the first issue the house takes up. >> i think the american people and made it clear they want to see reformed healthcare system. they've made it clear they want to comprehensive reform of our immigration system. in my view, and all of those reforms we have to make sure we do it carefully that would only people behind. i think tax reform is essential if her going to get our economy going again.

my guess those are the three areas we start with. >> you come to the position after the successful career in the insurance business and running the foundation. what is been a favorite part of this new job as a congressman? >> just being there. we are in statutory statuary hall in the house of representatives. it's it's an incredible privilege to be here and represent my neighbors in the u.s. capital. that never gets old for me. i live six blocks, look at the capitol to the entire way to the office in the morning. it's a tremendous privilege to be here. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you.

♪ local. >> the presidential inauguration of donald trump is on january 20. we will have coverage of the events in ceremony. watch live on c-span and c-span.org. the sun life on the free c-span radio app. >> tonight, it is book tv and primetime with a look at notable books of 2016. starting at eight eastern we. starting at eight eastern we discussed the book valiant ambition then mary roach looks at grunt, the curious science of humans at war. after that we discussed "chaos monkeys". . .