U.S. House Passes NK Human Rights Reauthorization Act

News Summary

A bipartisan bill, initiated by Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA), was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday to renew and update the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act, which is intended to advance human rights and freedom in North Korea.

Kim said at a House session, "The authorization for the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 lapsed in 2022. We must get this legislation signed into law this Congress...We cannot ignore the threat posed by North Korea and holding the North Korean regime accountable without supporting human rights is a nonstarter."

Kim added, "Failing to reauthorize a landmark human rights initiative sends a signal to Kim Jong-un that the United States will allow human rights in North Korea and around the world to fall on deaf ears."

Commentary

After a two-year delay, the North Korean Human Rights Act is finally on the move. Despite several unsuccessful attempts by both the House and the Senate to pass the law in the last two years, recent international attention on North Korea, particularly following its troop deployment to Russia, has underscored the increased importance of North Korean human rights.

While the bill still requires approval from the Senate and the President's signature, achieving passage in the House before the year's end marks a significant breakthrough. It would be ideal for the Senate to approve the bill before the end of this year, and for President-elect Trump to sign it shortly after taking office in January.

On the same date on which the House bill was passed, the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th time in a row. The two approvals reveal the increasing global recognition of how important North Korean human rights issues have become in dealing with the Kim regime.

As the international community has begun to put all hands on deck in pressuring the Kim regime revolving around North Korean human rights issues, we will see a reclusive state becoming more shaken and eventually overturned within a few years or even sooner.