NORTH KOREA

North Korea suffers from one of the worst human rights disasters in the world.  The regime of Kim Jong-Il brutally denies its citizens freedom of thought, conscience and religion and even subjects children to ideological indoctrination.  North Korea has more than 200,000 political prisoners in concentration camps and jails, many of whom are victims of experiments and executions in gas chambers.  Because of such treatment, many North Koreans attempt to escape the country.  Thousands of refugees seek safe harbor in northeast China, and others attempt to make the perilous journey to such far off places as Southeast Asia.

In response to this situation, I sponsored the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004, which calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to demand access to North Korean refugees in China, and urges heightened diplomatic pressure on China to reverse its policy of capturing and repatriating North Korean refugees.  China must stop turning a blind eye to the suffering, persecution and execution of the citizens of its neighbor.  

Most North Koreans who escape want to resettle in South Korea.  For cultural, linguistic and even logistical reasons, this makes practical sense.  However, some North Koreans, many of whom have family members living in America, have asked to come to the United States.  The North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004 enables North Korean refugees to apply for and receive asylum in the U.S.

I will continue to pursue appropriately targeted policies that advance our national interests, affirm our values and bolster the confidence of our allies.