Trump to meet with North Korean defectors in Oval Office in bid to raise pressure on Kim Jong Un
North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho raises his crutches as he is recognized by  President Trump  during the State of the Union address on Jan. 30  2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
 President Trump  will meet North Korean defectors in the Oval Office on Friday  a provocative action meant to highlight human rights violations and one that could raise alarms in Pyongyang.
 Trump  is expected to meet with eight defectors — six who live in South Korea and two who live in the United States — two days after  he  punctuated  his  State of the Union address by praising Ji Seong-ho  a defector from North Korea who had been invited to watch the address from the first lady's box.  Ji  will be among the group at the White House on Friday.
“No regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea ”  Trump  said Tuesday night during the annual address to Congress. "North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland."
The visit was arranged by Greg Scarlatoiu at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea  a person familiar with the meeting said.  Trump  has sought to highlight the human costs of dictator Kim Jong Un's regime  but foreign policy experts warned that there are risks to such a strategy.
 Trump 's administration has said that  it  is continuing that policy. But the president's increasing rhetoric  including vows to use military power to "totally destroy" the North  and his personal denunciations of Kim have ramped up tensions on the peninsula. Experts said  Trump 's embrace of defectors could also be interpreted in Pyongyang as a threat.
“Meeting  them  in the Oval raises the question of whether the U.S. strategy is regime change ” said one foreign-policy expert who specializes in East Asia. “It could reduce the incentive to negotiate and potentially undercut efforts [of cooperation] with China. The real question is: Is North Korea strategy changing?”
“Today he lives in Seoul  where he rescues other defectors  and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most — the truth ”  Trump  said during  his  address to Congress. “Today  he  has a new leg  but Seong-ho  I understand you still keep those crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all.”
 Ji  lifted  his  crutches as the audience of lawmakers and other guests applauded  in one of the most emotional moments of the speech.
Lee  who was in the audience in South Korea’s National Assembly when  Trump  delivered a speech there in November  plans to use her time with the president to urge him to stop China repatriating North Koreans who are caught escaping.
Torture and imprisonment is standard and some North Koreans are publicly executed  Lee will tell  Trump .
She will ask Trump to try to convince China not to send North Koreans back. “Mr. President  please help us to stop the repatriation in China and give North Korean people the freedom that they deserve ” she will say  according to remarks shared with the Post.
North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho raises his crutches as he is recognized by [TGT]during the State of the Union address on Jan. 30  2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
 [TGT]will meet North Korean defectors in the Oval Office on Friday  a provocative action meant to highlight human rights violations and one that could raise alarms in Pyongyang.
 [TGT]is expected to meet with eight defectors — six who live in South Korea and two who live in the United States — two days after  [TGT]  punctuated  [TGT]  State of the Union address by praising Ji Seong-ho  a defector from North Korea who had been invited to watch the address from the first lady's box.  Ji  will be among the group at the White House on Friday.
“No regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea ”  [TGT]said Tuesday night during the annual address to Congress. "North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland."
The visit was arranged by Greg Scarlatoiu at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea  a person familiar with the meeting said.  [TGT]has sought to highlight the human costs of dictator Kim Jong Un's regime  but foreign policy experts warned that there are risks to such a strategy.
 [TGT] 's administration has said that  [TGT]  is continuing that policy. But the president's increasing rhetoric  including vows to use military power to "totally destroy" the North  and his personal denunciations of Kim have ramped up tensions on the peninsula. Experts said  [TGT] 's embrace of defectors could also be interpreted in Pyongyang as a threat.
“Meeting  [TGT]  in the Oval raises the question of whether the U.S. strategy is regime change ” said one foreign-policy expert who specializes in East Asia. “It could reduce the incentive to negotiate and potentially undercut efforts [of cooperation] with China. The real question is: Is North Korea strategy changing?”
“Today he lives in Seoul  where he rescues other defectors  and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most — the truth ”  [TGT]said during  [TGT]  address to Congress. “Today  [TGT]  has a new leg  but Seong-ho  I understand you still keep those crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all.”
 Ji  lifted  his  crutches as the audience of lawmakers and other guests applauded  in one of the most emotional moments of the speech.
Lee  who was in the audience in South Korea’s National Assembly when  [TGT]delivered a speech there in November  plans to use her time with the president to urge him to stop China repatriating North Koreans who are caught escaping.
Torture and imprisonment is standard and some North Koreans are publicly executed  Lee will tell  [TGT] .
She will ask [TGT] to try to convince China not to send North Koreans back. “Mr. President  please help us to stop the repatriation in China and give North Korean people the freedom that they deserve ” she will say  according to remarks shared with the Post.