[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 634 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 634

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                     September 7, 2016.
Whereas, on January 6, 2016, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and 
        on February 6, 2016, North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic 
        missile technology test, both constituting direct and egregious 
        violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions;
Whereas each of the governments of the United States, the Republic of Korea 
        (ROK), and Japan have condemned the tests, underscoring the importance 
        of a strong and united international response;
Whereas the ROK President Park Geun-hye and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have 
        agreed to work with the United States both to institute strong measures 
        in reaction to North Korean provocations, and to prevent North Korea 
        from becoming a nuclear weapons state;
Whereas the United States, ROK, and Japan have signed a framework to enhance 
        information sharing called the ``Trilateral Information Sharing 
        Arrangement Concerning the Nuclear and Missile Threats Posed by North 
        Korea'';
Whereas Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea (ROK), is 35 miles from the 
        Demilitarized Zone, and Japan is 650 miles from North Korea, both within 
        reach of North Korea's weapons;
Whereas North Korea already has an estimated stockpile of nuclear material that 
        could be converted into 13-21 nuclear weapons, with clear intentions to 
        continue building its nuclear arsenal;
Whereas North Korea consistently conducts destabilizing domestic military 
        drills, including firing short range missiles into the territorial 
        waters of its neighbors;
Whereas Admiral William Gortney, Commander of the United States Northern Command 
        has assessed on October 5, 2015, that the North Koreans ``have the 
        capability to reach the [U.S.] homeland with a nuclear weapon from a 
        rocket'' and U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Curtis M. Scaparrotti 
        said on October 24, 2014, that North Koreans ``have the capability to 
        have miniaturized the device [a nuclear warhead] at this point, and they 
        have the technology to potentially deliver what they say they have.'';
Whereas the United States' deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense 
        (THAAD) system would greatly improve the ROK's missile defense 
        capabilities and the ability of the United States-ROK-Japan cooperative 
        efforts to deter North Korea's threats and provocations;
Whereas from June 20, 2016, through June 28, 2016, the United States Navy, the 
        Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and the Republic of Korea Navy 
        conducted their third biennial Pacific Dragon exercise, a trilateral 
        event focusing on ballistic missile defense;
Whereas the Report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on human rights 
        in North Korea highlights that North Korea's own citizens are starved of 
        life's basic necessities and basic human rights;
Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has 
        established a field-based structure for assessing continued North Korean 
        human rights violations in Seoul, with the strong support of the 
        Governments of the United States, ROK, and Japanese governments; and
Whereas a strong United States-Republic of Korea-Japan trilateral relationship 
        is a stabilizing force for peace and security in the region, with 
        capabilities to combat future provocations from North Korea: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly condemns North Korea's nuclear tests, missile launches, 
        and continued provocations;
            (2) reaffirms the importance of the United States-Republic of Korea 
        (ROK)-Japan trilateral relationship to counter North Korea's 
        destabilizing activities and nuclear proliferation, and to bolster 
        regional security;
            (3) supports joint military exercises and other efforts to 
        strengthen cooperation, improve defense capabilities, and oppose 
        regional threats like North Korea;
            (4) encourages the deployment and United States-ROK-Japan 
        coordination of regional advanced ballistic missile defense systems 
        against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and provocations;
            (5) calls for the expansion of information and intelligence sharing 
        and sustained diplomatic cooperation between the United States, ROK, and 
        Japan; and
            (6) underscores the importance of the trilateral relationship in 
        tracking North Korea human rights violations and holding it accountable 
        for its abuses against its citizens and the citizens of other countries.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.