On February 27, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs is expected to have a markup—a meeting in which the committee will discuss and amend a proposed legislation—regarding the North Korea Sanction Enforcement Act (H.R. 757), which was introduced by Representatives Ed Royce (R-California) and Eliot Engel (D-New York).
The bill, which was introduced on February 5, includes measures that focus on improving sanctions against North Korea and has a particular emphasis on the human rights violations by the North Korean government. In the 113th Congress, a similar bill (H.R. 1771) was proposed, but was dropped when the Senate did not take any action on it.
However, it seems that the 114th Congress has a greater likelihood of being more approving of the bill. The U.S. is likely to feel a greater threat from North Korea, especially considering the recent cyberattack on Sony Entertainment and its relation with the movie, “The Interview,” which causes many to believe that the hack was carried out by those within the North Korean government.
This bill sees North Korea’s possession of missiles and other weapons as a great threat to the U.S., and in order to cut off North Korea’s sources of financial support, it declares a sanction on every third-party country and even individuals who contribute to “North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development or [engage] in other destructive activities, including importing or exporting related WMD materiel into North Korea, or providing training to, or advising on, their weapons programs,” in the words of a summary of the bill.
The bill “also levies mandatory sanctions on those who import luxury goods into North Korea, or enable its censorship efforts or continuing human rights abuses,” the summary of the bill continues.
Any entity that has participated in any of these such activities will not only be sanctioned but may even be denied entry into the U.S., as the bill gives the President the authority to deny entry to “any foreigner that has been sanctioned under this Act.”
“North Korea continues to threaten the United States and our close allies with its nuclear, missile, and now cyber capabilities,” said Royce. “I am pleased to join Ranking Member Engel in introducing legislation to step up the targeting of those financial institutions in Asia and beyond that are supporting this brutal and dangerous regime. By shutting down North Korea’s illicit activities, we deprive the Kim regime of the money it needs to pay the generals and to conduct nuclear weapons research.”
The portion that is of particular interest for many is the sections regarding human rights violations in North Korea. This bill compels the North Korean government to make available “unrestricted, unmonitored, and inexpensive, radio, Internet, and electronic mass communications to the people of North Korea,” the bill states.
Under the human rights portion, the State Department is also required to submit a report regarding North Korea’s political prison camps, detailing the camp’s “estimated prisoner population,” “geographical coordinates,” “reasons for confinement of the prisoners,” “the conditions under which prisoners are confined,” and “the natural persons and agencies responsible for conditions in the camp,” among others, to the extent that information is available. Another section requires the State Department to identify specific individuals who are perpetrators of human rights abuses within North Korea.
"North Korea is one of the most isolated, cruel, and unpredictable regimes in the world,” Engel said. “The vast majority of North Koreans endure systematic violations of their most basic human rights. Widespread malnutrition, torture, and fear have made North Korea one of the most egregious human rights violators in the post-WWII era. It is past time to hold Pyongyang’s elites responsible for their actions.”
This bill is receiving keen attention from activists who are preparing for the North Korea Freedom Week that will be taking place at Washington, D.C. from April 26 to May 2. The Korean Church Coalition for North Korean Freedom (KCCNK), a human rights focused non-profit organization at the center of the Korean church community, is also paying particular attention to the bill. The North Korea Freedom Coalition has already been encouraging individuals from various regions to send letters to their state representatives to show their support for the bill and has been placing pressure on the political sphere in regards to this legislation.
Meanwhile, another bill regarding North Korea, the North Korea Sanctions and Diplomatic Nonrecognition Act of 2015 (H.R. 204), was also submitted to the Committee on Foreign Affairs by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida). H.R. 204 confirms that North Korea is a “state sponsor of terrorism,” and that the U.S. shall continue to withhold from diplomatic relations with the country.
Rachael Lee contributed to this article.
