[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 109 (Friday, June 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO NORTH KOREA NEEDED

                                 ______


                              HON. JAY KIM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 30, 1995
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation that 
would limit congressional travel to North Korea until the President 
certifies to Congress that North Korea does not have a policy of 
discrimination against Members and employees of the Congress in 
permitting travel to North Korea on the basis of national origin or 
political philosophy.
  As I am the only Korean-American ever to serve in Congress and am 
also a member of the House International Relations Subcommittee on 
Asian and Pacific Affairs, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and 
International Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin Gilman encouraged 
me to lead a special, bipartisan assessment mission to North Korea. 
This would be the first Republican-appointed congressional mission to 
North Korea in 40 years.
  The United States Congress will be required to approve of any further 
assistance or technology transfers to North Korea. Congress will also 
play an important role in determining the pace and scope of future 
diplomatic and trade relations between Washington and Pyongyang. 
Therefore, it is important for Congress to have an accurate and 
complete assessment of the situation in North Korea conducted by a 
select group of its own Members. A dialogue with North Korea's leaders 
and a first-hand examination of the implementation of the recently 
achieved Agreed Framework regarding North Korea's nuclear developments 
would clearly benefit the congressional decisionmaking process and 
ensure that as accurate and complete information as possible would be 
available to Congress. Without question, the nuclear crisis on the 
Korean Peninsula is one of the most important national security 
concerns of the United States today.
  Regrettably, the North Korean Government has rejected the dates I 
have proposed for this bipartisan mission. Initially, Pyongyang 
indicated that the dates I had proposed were inconvenient for the North 
Korean Government. Yet, North Korea invited a minority Democratic 
Member of Congress to Pyongyang for one of the same periods of time I 
had proposed. This incident coupled with North Korea's latest rejection 
confirms to me that North Korea is afraid of allowing me and this 
special delegation into North Korea.
  I believe Pyongyang is afraid because I am of Korean origin and am 
fluent in Korean. I know the culture and the people. I would be able to 
talk directly to the people and accurately read the expressions on 
their faces. I would be able to see and understand things--some very 
subtle--that other Americans would miss. In other words, the North 
Korean regime knows it cannot mislead or fool me.
  While I believe my national origin is, in large part, the reason for 
North Korea's rejection, Pyongyang has also cited my fair and 
legitimate questioning of some of North Korea's actions, including its 
human rights record. It is telling that North Korea has rejected this 
mission knowing
 that it has the endorsement of the new Republican leadership of the 
House of Representatives. Thus, I also believe that my political 
philosophy--a philosophy different from that of the Member who was 
invited to North Korea--was a factor in North Korea's decision. I have 
carefully chosen the words political philosophy because I am not 
convinced that party affiliation alone is a determining factor for 
North Korea. I am aware that the recent request of a ranking Democratic 
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to meet with North 
Korean officials was also rejected. Many of his views about the 
situation in Korea are similar to mine.

  Unfortunately, I do not believe that North Korea realizes that its 
policy of picking and choosing the Members of Congress with whom it 
will cooperate is perceived by my colleagues here in Congress as an 
insult to the United States and to the United States Congress. We 
cannot cede to North Korea the right to determine which Members of 
Congress should represent Congress in a bilateral dialog. All U.S. 
Representatives and Senators are equal in their respective Chambers. No 
one of us has more constitutional rights than the other. We cannot 
allow North Korea to create different classes of Members of Congress.
  Furthermore, the way that the North Koreans have chosen to snub 
Congress should make us even more suspicious about Pyongyang's true 
level of sincerity towards their other interactions with the United 
States, including the commitments they claim to have made in the recent 
nuclear agreement. I can no longer see how some in the Clinton 
administration can be so confident that North Korea will comply in both 
letter and spirit with the recent nuclear deal when Pyongyang sends the 
opposite signal through its disgraceful treatment of Congress.
  It is ironic that in his reply to me, the Minister-Counselor of the 
North Korean Mission to the United Nations in New York--the channel 
which is used to communicate with Pyongyang--claims that his country 
wants harmony and reconciliation between North Korea and the United 
States. As the only Korean-American in Congress, I am in the unique 
position to communicate best with North Koreans and assess the 
sincerity of this claim.
  Yet, in the same letter North Korea rejects the very mission that the 
new Republican leadership in Congress has approved to explore this 
subject. Actions speak louder than words and North Korea's actions 
appear to be very illogical and self-destructive. It appears that North 
Korea has thrown away an exceptional opportunity to further the 
reconciliation process it claims to want.
  Those of us closest to the Korean issue in Congress have patiently 
put up with North Korea's insulting behavior. But, enough is enough. 
North Korea is politically and economically bankrupt. Without question, 
Pyongyang needs better relations with the U.S. Congress far, far more 
than the Congress needs a dialog with Pyongyang. Thus, until the 
President can certify that North Korea has reversed its discriminatory 
policy towards Congress, the legislation I am introducing today would 
preclude any official congressional travel to North Korea. It would 
ensure that the U.S. Congress maintains the dignity and respect it 
deserves.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this responsible 
legislation and join me in sending a strong, clear message to North 
Korea.


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