[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 155 (Friday, November 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     THE NORTH KOREA ADVISORY GROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 4, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, in August of this year, Speaker J. Dennis 
Hastert asked me to chair a group of nine members, including 
Representatives Floyd Spence, Porter Goss, Chris Cox, Tillie Fowler, 
Sonny Callahan, Doug Bereuter, Curt Weldon, and Joe Knollenberg to 
examine the threat that North Korea poses to the United States. We 
issued our report today. This is the summary of that report:

       I. Do the North Korean weapons of mass destruction (WMD) 
     programs pose a greater threat to U.S. security than five 
     years ago?
       North Korea's WMD programs pose a major threat to the 
     United States and its allies. This threat has advanced 
     considerably over the past five years, particularly with the 
     enhancement of North Korea's missile capabilities. There is 
     significant evidence that undeclared nuclear weapons 
     development activity continues, including efforts to acquire 
     uranium enrichment technologies and recent nuclear-related 
     high explosive tests. This means that the United States 
     cannot discount the possibility that North Korea could 
     produce additional nuclear weapons outside of the constraints 
     imposed by the 1994 Agreed Framework.
       In the last five years, North Korea's missile capabilities 
     have improved dramatically. North Korea has produced, 
     deployed and exported missiles to Iran and Pakistan, launched 
     a three-stage missile (Taepo Dong 1), and continues to 
     develop a larger and more powerful missile (Taepo Dong 2). 
     Unlike five years ago, North Korea can now strike the United 
     States with a missile that could deliver high explosive, 
     chemical, biological, or possibly nuclear weapons. Currently, 
     the United States is unable to defend against this threat.
       The progress that North Korea has made over the past five 
     years in improving its missile capabilities, its record as a 
     major proliferator of ballistic missiles and missile 
     technology, combined with its development activities on 
     nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, ranks North Korea 
     with Russia and China as one of the greatest missile 
     proliferation threats in the world.
       II. Do North Korean conventional forces pose a greater 
     threat to peace on the Korean peninsula than five years ago?
       North Korea is less capable of successfully invading and 
     occupying South Korea today than it was five years ago, due 
     to issues of readiness, sustainability, and modernization. It 
     has, however, built an advantage in long-range artillery, 
     short-range ballistic missiles, and special operations 
     forces. This development, along with its chemical and 
     biological weapons capability and forward-deployed forces, 
     gives North Korea the ability to inflict significant 
     casualties on U.S. and South Korean forces and civilians in 
     the earliest stages of any conflict.
       III. Does North Korea pose a greater threat to 
     international stability than five years ago?
       The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a 
     greater threat to international stability primarily in Asia 
     and secondarily in the Middle East. North Korea is arguably 
     the largest proliferator of missiles and enabling technology 
     in the world, with its primary markets being South Asia and 
     the Middle East. Its proliferation activities pose an 
     increasing threat to American and allied interests globally. 
     Pyongyang continues to harbor terrorists, produce and traffic 
     in narcotics, counterfeit U.S. currency, and infiltrate 
     agents into South Korea and Japan.
       IV. Does U.S. assistance sustain the North Korean 
     government?
       The United States has replaced the Soviet Union as a 
     primary benefactor of North Korea. The United States now 
     feeds more than one-third of all North Koreans, and the U.S.-
     supported KEDO program supplies almost half of its HFO needs. 
     This aid frees other resources for North Korea to divert to 
     its WMD and conventional military programs.
       U.S. aid to North Korea has grown from zero to more than 
     $270 million annually, totaling $645 million over the last 
     five years. Based on current trends, that total will likely 
     exceed $1 billion next year. During that same time, North 
     Korea developed missiles capable of striking the United 
     States and became a major drug trafficking and currency 
     counterfeiting nation.
       Despite assurances from the administration, U.S. food and 
     fuel assistance is not adequately monitored. At least $11 
     million in HFO assistance has been diverted. In contravention 
     of stated U.S. policy, food has been distributed in places 
     where monitors are denied access. One U.S. aid worker in 
     North Korea recently called the monitoring are denied access. 
     One U.S. aid worker in North Korea recently called the 
     monitoring system a ``scam.'' More than 90% of food aid 
     distribution sites in North Korea have never been visited by 
     a food aid monitor. The North Koreans have never divulged a 
     complete list of where aid is distributed.
       North Korea has the longest sustained U.N. food emergency 
     program in history. There are no significant efforts to 
     support or compel agricultural and economic reforms needed 
     for North Korea to feed itself. North Korea will likely 
     continue to refuse to reform, instead relying on brinkmanship 
     to exact further aid from the United States and other members 
     of the international community.
       V. Do the policies of the North Korean government undermine 
     the political and/or economic rights of its people more so 
     than five years ago?
       The condition of the North Korean people, both physically 
     and politically, is worse than at any time in the history of 
     their government. U.N. nutritional studies and other research 
     have shown that at least one million North Koreans have 
     starved to death since 1994, while many others face 
     starvation. North Korea's medical system has collapsed with 
     its economy, transforming common diseases into death 
     sentences for many. North Korean hospitals largely function 
     as hospices.
       North Korea has the worst human rights record of any 
     government in the world. The DPRK formally categorizes its 
     citizens into 51 classes. Seven million citizens, one-third 
     of the population, are regarded as members of the ``hostile'' 
     class. North Korea has established prisons for hungry 
     children, and is the only place on earth where a hungry child 
     wandering away from home is imprisoned. North Korea is also 
     unique in being the only country that has attempted to 
     withdraw from a key human rights treaty.
       The regime of Kim Jong II depends on maintaining high 
     levels of fear to oppress its people. The perpetual state of 
     crisis that the regime generates with the international 
     community ensures internal discipline and demands absolute 
     support for the regime. This policy requires the regime to 
     keep the North Korean people isolated and ill-informed on 
     developments in the outside world.

  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my 
colleagues on the International Relations Committee as well as the 
members of the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees as we take 
follow-up actions on this important issue.

                          ____________________