[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TONY P. HALL

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 21, 1999

  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, President Clinton announced 
his decision to lift some sanctions against North Korea. This is an 
historic move that comes at a time of real opportunity in United 
States-North Korea relations, one that does as much to ensure a lasting 
peace in Korea as any diplomatic initiative taken in the past 50 years.
  In the past 3 years, I have spent considerable time on the challenges 
that North Korea represents. I have made five visits there to see 
first-hand the famine that has claimed 2 million lives, according to 
most experts. I have met countless times with aid workers, with Korea-
Americans, with experts on North Korea, and with officials from U.N. 
organizations and other nations. I have struggled to understand why 
North Korea acts as it does, and, like many of our colleagues, I have 
worried about the threat North Korea's military poses to the 37,000 
American service men and women stationed in South Korea.
  Mr. Speaker, my experiences convince me that President Clinton's 
action stands a better chance than any other alternative in helping the 
people of North Korea, and in safeguarding peace on the Korean 
Peninsula.
  In the long run, I expect it will bring more freedom and less 
poverty--as we have seen happen in other communist states that open up 
to market forces. In the short term, this initiative will help maintain 
peace on the Korean Peninsula--a peace that South Korea's people and 
our troops depend upon. And, by removing an obstacle to President Kim 
Dae Jung's bold and innovative initiative to improve relations with 
North Korea, it lends support to efforts to encourage ``the Hermit 
Kingdom'' to become a responsible member of the international 
community.
  Since I first began visiting North Korea in 1996, its leaders have 
said they want trade--not aid. I have rarely seen any people who work 
as hard as Koreans, and I am confident that North Korea's people can 
work their way out of the terrible difficulties of recent years and end 
their reliance on international aid.
  Friday's action was a bold step by President Clinton, but it was not 
the first in U.S. DPRK relations:
  Under President Reagan that we first began serious efforts to improve 
relations with North Korea. His administration's ``Modest Initiative'' 
envisioned a gradual increase in contacts; unfortunately, that did not 
succeed.
  A similar effort during President Bush's tenure also failed.
  In 1994, the Agreed Framework again attempted to pave the way for 
better relations, while freezing nuclear production. Without that 
agreement, which has come under considerable criticism by Congress, 
North Korea probably would have dozens of nuclear weapons today. But 
while it succeeded in freezing nuclear production, the 1994 deal also 
foundered without achieving its other diplomatic goals.
  This latest action is the culmination of countless hours of work by a 
talented group of diplomats headed by Ambassador Charles Kartman. It 
won needed attention with the assistance of Dr. William Perry and his 
insightful team. But what may make the outcome of this initiative 
different from its predecessors' is the dramatic change in North 
Korea's circumstances, and the actions of the unsung Americans who 
responded to the humanitarian crisis that resulted.
   Mr. Speaker, I have visited many famine-stricken countries. When 
their crisis ends, some of them throw out the leaders who presided over 
the famine; some of them don't. But one thing that witnesses to a 
famine have in common is this: they remember. They remember who helped 
them in their time of need; they remember who found excuses to do too 
little as their loved ones suffered and died.
  Sadly, North Koreans now know first-hand the sorrows of famine. But 
they also know that America was there with our food and our aid 
workers, doing what we could to help ease the suffering of those most 
vulnerable in any famine. No one better exemplifies their dedication 
and willingness to make extraordinary efforts than Ells Culver, of 
Mercy Corps International. Ells and his colleagues are among the real 
heroes of efforts to better understand North Korea, and to create a 
lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
  With their continued efforts, and the talents of our diplomats, we 
have an historic opportunity within our grasp. It is essential that 
this first step not be the last one. It makes sense for the President 
to maintain some sanctions, and I know our colleagues will need to see 
results before they can support lifting other sanctions. But 1999 ought 
to be the last time we allow a situation on the Korean Peninsula to 
reach a crisis point before we at least try to defuse it.
  To secure the promise of this bold move, I hope the President will 
move quickly on other recommendations made by the Perry report, 
including the nomination of a senior-level envoy and the normalization 
of diplomatic relations. An American presence in North Korea will help 
ensure our policy stops careening from crisis to crisis, and it will 
provide Americans with consular protection.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that Congress will give this initiative a chance. 
We all heard South Korea's president when he addressed a joint meeting 
of Congress earlier this year, and when I met with him a few weeks ago 
he again urged the United States to do what the President did last 
week.
  Throughout South Korea's history, the U.S. Congress has played an 
important role in ensuring its national security and assisting it 
achieve democracy. Now is the time for Washington to again support 
Seoul as it charts a new course in relations with its neighbor. The 
President cannot play this supporting role alone, nor can he succeed in 
improving United States-North Korea relations without congressional 
support.
  I appreciate the concerns that some of our colleagues have expressed 
about North Korea. I believe that congressional insistence on a review 
of U.S. policy safeguarded our national security and probably helped to 
avert a new crisis with North Korea. But I also know that now is the 
time for Congress to respect the recommendations of former Defense 
Secretary Bill Perry, and the many requests of our ally in Seoul.
  This is an historic opportunity for peace. The cold war that still 
lingers in this last corner of the world is not yet over, but the end 
is within our grasp. I urge my colleagues to lend whatever momentum we 
can to this initiative, and to the efforts of the many good people 
working to improve the situation for the ordinary people in North 
Korea. With luck, and the continuing efforts of the many people who 
share my concerns about their well-being, they will be the biggest 
beneficiary of this new policy. And they will remember this turning 
point.

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