[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 25 (Friday, February 15, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H555-H558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONDEMNING NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR TEST

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 65) condemning the Government of North Korea for 
its flagrant and repeated violations of multiple United Nations 
Security Council resolutions, for its repeated provocations that 
threaten international peace and stability, and for its February 12, 
2013, test of a nuclear device, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 65

       Whereas, on February 12, 2013, North Korea exploded a 
     nuclear device;
       Whereas reports indicate that the nuclear test was 
     apparently more powerful than North Korea's previous tests in 
     2006 and 2009;
       Whereas North Korea's nuclear test, and its recent 
     ballistic missile test, are violations of United Nations 
     Security Council Resolution 1695 (2006), Resolution 1718 
     (2006), Resolution 1874 (2009), and Resolution 2087 (2013);
       Whereas North Korea's ballistic missile program poses a 
     threat to United States allies and interests in the Asia 
     Pacific region;
       Whereas North Korea's ballistic missile program has 
     demonstrated an increasing ability to reach the United 
     States, and could constitute a grave threat to the security 
     of the American people;
       Whereas North Korea has violated the July 27, 1953, 
     Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War, and has since 
     committed unprovoked acts of war against South Korea by 
     sinking the warship Cheonan, killing 46 of her crew, and by 
     attacking civilian targets on the island of Yeongpyeong, 
     killing four residents, among many other willful violations 
     and outrages;
       Whereas the Government of North Korea has been implicated 
     repeatedly in the illicit laundering of monetary instruments, 
     in international narcotics trafficking, and in the 
     counterfeiting of United States currency and intellectual 
     property;
       Whereas North Korea has demonstrated a willingness and 
     ability to proliferate its ballistic and nuclear technology 
     to a variety of countries, including Iran and Syria, both 
     United States designated state sponsors of terrorism;
       Whereas the Government of North Korea commits gross human 
     rights violations against the North Korean people, including 
     maintaining a system of gulags that imprison thousands of 
     citizens, and policies that have resulted in starvation 
     deaths of over 2,000,000 people; and
       Whereas the Government of North Korea has repeatedly 
     violated its commitments to the complete, verifiable, and 
     irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program, 
     including the Agreed Framework of 1994, the Joint Statement 
     of September 19, 2005, and the agreement of February 13, 
     2007: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the Government of North Korea for its flagrant 
     and repeated violations of multiple United Nations Security 
     Council resolutions, for its repeated provocations that 
     threaten international peace and stability, and for its 
     February 12, 2013, test of a nuclear device;
       (2) expresses solidarity with the people of North Korea who 
     suffer severe oppression, denial of basic human rights and 
     political liberties, and material deprivation;
       (3) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its 
     alliances with Japan and South Korea, which are critical for 
     the preservation of peace and stability in Northeast Asia and 
     throughout the region;
       (4) calls upon the People's Republic of China, North 
     Korea's closest ally and trading partner, to pressure North 
     Korean leaders to curtail their provocative behavior, abandon 
     and dismantle their nuclear and missile programs through the 
     curtailing of vital economic support and trade to North Korea 
     that support the Government of North Korea, and comply with 
     all relevant international agreements and United Nations 
     Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency 
     resolutions;
       (5) calls on the People's Republic of China to take 
     immediate actions to prevent the transshipment of illicit 
     technology, military equipment, and dual-use items through 
     its territory, waters, and airspace that could be used in 
     North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs; 
     and
       (6) calls on the United States Government--
       (A) to apply all available sanctions on North Korea, 
     cooperate with United States allies and other countries to 
     impose additional sanctions on North Korea, and secure a new 
     United Nations Security Council resolution imposing stronger 
     sanctions;
       (B) to utilize aggressively the range of available legal 
     authorities and resources to defend United States interests 
     against North Korean illicit activities; and
       (C) to support the President's commitment to strengthen the 
     United States ballistic missile defense system to protect the 
     United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include 
extraneous materials on this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  What I want to share with the body is that, on February 12 of 2013, 
North Korea successfully carried out a nuclear test--a test in flagrant 
violation of numerous international sanctions and of numerous 
agreements that North Korea has made in the past.
  This test, which is the third time that North Korea has exploded a 
nuclear device, is a stark reminder that Kim Jong Un is determined to 
develop his nuclear arsenal while depriving North Koreans of their most 
basic human rights. When I say their ``most basic human rights,'' we 
had an opportunity to speak with the former propaganda minister of 
North Korea, who told us that 1.9 million North Koreans starved while 
this regime, in violating every agreement it had made with the 
international community, plowed forward with a plan to develop nuclear 
weapons.
  North Korea has literally spent billions on its nuclear and its 
three-stage ICBM program, and that is all money that could have 
provided enough food to feed this country for years. If you've ever 
been in North Korea, you've seen

[[Page H556]]

that the children there are malnourished. As a matter of fact, up to 50 
percent of the children are so malnourished that it is estimated that 
it's going to affect their future development and their ability to 
really think conceptually because of the degree of deprivation there.
  In the meantime, it also continues to build up its military. This 
week's test comes only 2 months after the launch of a North Korean 
intercontinental missile, leaving no doubt in my mind that decades of 
fruitless negotiations, frankly, have been a failure.
  North Korea is a pariah state that has attacked its neighbors many 
times. Just last month, Ranking Member Eliot Engel of New York and I 
had the opportunity to visit the wreckage of the South Korean naval 
vessel Cheonan, and there we saw the evidence where 46 South Korean 
sailors lost their lives in 2011--victim to a North Korean torpedo that 
was fired at that ship. I cannot imagine the anguish that this 
despicable act has caused for so many of those parents of those young 
sailors in South Korea.

                              {time}  0920

  The shared sacrifice that South Koreans and Americans have endured as 
a result of North Korean aggression is a sacred, inseparable bond 
between our two peoples. This resolution appropriately stands by South 
Korea and Japan, our allies in northeast Asia.
  As North Korea continues to disregard international norms, it's 
important for this House to speak out, but we must do more. In the 
coming weeks, I will introduce legislation that targets North Korea's 
ability to access hard currency.
  In my conversations with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea and 
President-elect Park Geun-hye, I have always stressed the importance of 
targeted sanctions so that we can bring about change inside North 
Korea. When dictators cannot pay their generals, they cannot test 
nuclear weapons and launch missiles. This was an important lesson of 
the financial sanctions we put on Banco Delta Asia and other banks in 
the past that have dealt with the North Korean regimes; and, as a 
result of that imposition at the time, it brought to a halt the ability 
of the North Korean regime to pay its generals.
  Mr. Speaker, America's policy on North Korea has been a bipartisan 
failure. We can no longer just hope that North Korea is going to give 
up its weapons in exchange for aid. It is time we come together to hold 
this regime responsible for all the pain and suffering that it has 
caused, and do so by imposing this access to hard currency restriction. 
I cannot envision a scenario where Kim Jong Un voluntarily gives up the 
one weapon that, frankly, keeps his dynasty in power.
  Reports indicate that North Korea's nuclear program is getting more 
powerful and its missiles are flying further. If North Korea is allowed 
to continue down this path, frankly, we all lose. The time to act is 
now.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of H. Res. 65, as amended. I would like to 
thank our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Royce, for his 
leadership in addressing the threat posed by North Korea. I'm proud to 
be the lead Democratic cosponsor of this resolution. I believe it's 
very important for the House to speak with a strong bipartisan voice in 
condemning North Korea's recent nuclear test.
  This test was an unnecessary provocation that raises tensions in 
northeast Asia and poses a threat to the national security of the 
United States and our allies in the region. The test also violates 
numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions, and I urge the Security 
Council to promptly pass a new resolution with additional sanctions to 
punish the North Korean regime.
  In particular, I call on China and Russia to work constructively with 
other members of the Security Council to show the world that the world 
is united in opposing North Korea's unacceptable behavior. I recently 
traveled to Asia with Chairman Royce, and this is one of the key issues 
we discussed with senior Chinese leaders. China must do more. They're 
the ones that can rein in North Korea. They must do so, and they must 
do so immediately.
  The North Korean regime must understand that the development of 
ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons will never make it a strong and 
prosperous nation. Instead of wasting millions of dollars on these 
weapons of mass destruction, it should focus on feeding its own 
impoverished people.
  I have visited North Korea, the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang, on 
two occasions, and I can tell you that the North Korean regime would do 
better to help its own people, give them the things that they deserve, 
rather than spend its time and money on exploding nuclear devices in 
violation of what the international community believes. The new young 
dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, must understand that the United 
States and our allies will not stand idly by and allow them to 
continuously violate what the international community thinks is 
acceptable.
  I agree with Chairman Royce that for too long they have played this 
game. They have talked and talked and gone on and gone on and nothing 
has really been done, and they continue to violate international law. 
Unfortunately, Iran is playing the same game, and we cannot allow that 
to happen either--Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
  So given the threat posed by North Korea, the United States must 
remain vigilant and further strengthen cooperation with our allies of 
South Korea and Japan. As the chairman said, we were in South Korea 
just a few days ago and we saw the evidence of provocation, of North 
Korea torpedoing a ship from South Korea, killing 50-some-odd members 
of the military of South Korea in an unprovoked attack. This is an 
outlaw regime, and it really must be handled properly.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a moment and thank Mr. 
Engel for the forceful leadership that he gave us on this issue as we 
were meeting with the Governments of China and Japan and South Korea.
  Mr. Speaker, I would now yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and our chairman 
emeritus, who has been very engaged on North Korea policy.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank our esteemed chairman of the House Foreign 
Affairs Committee, as well as our ranking member, my good friend, Mr. 
Engel of New York.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, authored by 
Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel, condemning North Korea for its most recent 
nuclear test.
  Kim Jong Un, like his father and his grandfather before him, 
continues to thumb his nose at the United States, at South Korea, and 
Japan--indeed, the international community as a whole--by flagrantly 
violating U.N. Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang continues to 
pursue its goals of nuclear armament while leaving its citizens 
malnourished, starving, and suffering from diseases.
  Without an appropriate response, North Korea will continue to launch 
rockets, as it did this past December, will continue to conduct nuclear 
tests, and will continue to undermine U.S. national security interests, 
as well as threaten our allies in the region. It is clear that North 
Korea is not now, nor has it ever been, an honest broker and has never 
lived up to its international obligations.
  The time for engagement has long since passed, Mr. Speaker. Kim Jong 
Un has made his priorities clear: to obtain a nuclear weapon and to 
support, finance, and equip rogue regimes such as Iran and Syria. Such 
support to these state sponsors of terrorism should be more than enough 
for us in the United States to redesignate North Korea on the terrorist 
list.
  I introduced a bipartisan bill earlier this week, the North Korea 
Sanctions and Diplomatic Nonrecognition Act of 2013, that would do 
exactly that. This is a critical moment for our allies in Asia, and the 
United States must reaffirm our unwavering support to our allies, South 
Korea and Japan.
  I urge my colleagues to join us in condemning North Korea for its 
repeated provocations and violations of U.N. Security Council 
resolutions.

[[Page H557]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. ROYCE. I yield the gentlelady an additional minute.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank the gentleman for the time.
  So, therefore, I call upon the administration to take appropriate 
action necessary and stand in solidarity with our South Korean and 
Japanese allies as they continue to live under the increasing threat of 
a nuclear North Korea.
  I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership on 
this issue, and our Foreign Affairs Committee will continue to pursue 
this terrible, vexing problem doggedly.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to say that we can 
hear that Members on both sides of the aisle are speaking with one 
voice in unison, and I urge, again, the Congress to speak on a 
bipartisan basis to say that this is not acceptable and that we condemn 
in the strongest possible terms what North Korea has done.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. If I might yield, Mr. Speaker, 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on 
Asia and the Pacific.

                              {time}  0930

  Mr. CHABOT. I'd like to add my voice to thanking the leadership, 
Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and former full chair, Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen, for their leadership on this very important issue.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution condemning the actions of 
a pariah state and its dictatorial leader for brazenly violating 
international sanctions, multiple United Nations Security Council 
resolutions, and repeatedly threatening the peace and stability of the 
Korean Peninsula.
  North Korea's test of a nuclear bomb on February 12, following its 
test of a ballistic missile in December, was a clear indication that it 
is continuing its quest for the ability to threaten the United States, 
South Korea, and other neighbors in the region.
  It has become evident that the current international sanctions are 
not working, but rather, emboldening Pyongyang to expand its arsenal 
and proliferate nuclear and ballistic technologies to dangerous allies 
in the Middle East.
  This resolution is only the first step in an effort to cripple the 
North Korean regime's ability to carry on with its illicit nuclear 
activities. I look forward to working with Chairman Royce and my 
colleagues on additional legislation that puts in place much tougher 
and more effective sanctions to sever Kim Jong Un's ability to threaten 
the international community.
  Mr. Speaker, the long-suffering people of North Korea are starving 
and being deprived of the most basic of human rights while their latest 
dictator squanders the nation's precious resources and threatens his 
neighbors and the surrounding region. The civilized world must take 
notice and take action.
  I thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue, and I urge 
support of the resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution condemning North Korea's nuclear test. This threat, I would 
point out, is not just a threat to Northeast Asia; it's a global threat 
that demands our attention.
  North Korea has demonstrated a willingness--in the past they've 
demonstrated a clear ability to proliferate nuclear and missile 
technology. We think about their proliferation to countries, nuclear 
proliferation to Syria. We think about their nuclear technology and 
their missile technologies for proliferation to Iran.
  We cannot wait for the next nuclear test, Mr. Speaker, or the news 
that North Korea has successfully miniaturized a nuclear weapon. We 
already saw the statement that this was a smaller nuclear weapon in the 
past. We saw the official KCNA news outlet for the North Korean regime 
make the statement that their target for their ICBM program was the 
United States.
  Lastly, many of us remember the video that came out last week, that 
very odd video that shows a North Korean sleeping, dreaming about an 
ICBM attack. The ICBM is launched. It ends up following the curvature 
of the Earth and hitting New York City in this video with that very odd 
background music playing. But it just shows an attitude.
  I think that we cannot stand idle and tell ourselves that further 
sanctions have no prospect of success, especially when we saw how 
effective, for that brief period of time where the Treasury Department 
was so concerned about the counterfeiting of $100 bills that they 
actually forced deployment of those financial sanctions on those 
institutions which the North Koreans used in order to have access to 
hard currency.
  We saw, at that time, the result and the protest from North Korea, 
and the result inside North Korea when there was not the money to pay 
the military or carry out the types of programs that they do in terms 
of their missile and nuclear testing.
  So it's time to be honest with the American people that, frankly, our 
current North Korean policy is not working. It hasn't worked for a long 
time. Going forward, we need to move away from that failed North Korean 
policy to one with energy and creativity and focus. And I think we need 
to learn from what worked in the past until, unfortunately, those 
sanctions were lifted shortly after they were deployed because of the 
protests from North Korea.
  So let's tackle North Korea's illicit activities, its missile and 
drug proliferation, where, between that and its counterfeit currency 
program, that's how it gets close to 50 percent of its hard currency. 
This regime will do anything for money, obviously. As South Koreans 
will tell you, it's a gangster regime.
  But let's interfere with those shipments. Let's disrupt the bank 
accounts that are used. Let's ramp up the radio broadcasts into the 
country, where there is evidence the information wall is cracking. 
Thirty-seven percent of those people that flee the regime today say 
they're listening to broadcasts or they're accessing information that 
is telling them about what's happening in the outside world and what's 
really going on in their own country. And that's the kind of 
information we have to get into this regime.
  Let's help the refugees who are literally dying to escape the prison 
above the 38th parallel. Weakening the regime is the only way to make 
the Korean Peninsula secure. So we must come together and do whatever 
is necessary to deprive Kim Jong Un of his nuclear weapons.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 
65 and I strongly condemn the most recent North Korea nuclear weapons 
test.
  It is unacceptable that the North Korean regime continues to ignore 
repeated calls from the United Nations Security Council and the 
international community to halt its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Despite 
repeated overtures from the international community, the North Korean 
regime continues to blatantly ignore all attempts to create a permanent 
peace on the Korean Peninsula.
  By conducting this nuclear weapons test, the North Korean regime has 
decided to brazenly disregard the Agreed Framework of 1994, the Joint 
Statement of September 19, 2005, the Agreement of February 13, 2007, 
and four United Nations Security Council resolutions. On February 12, 
2013 the United Nations Security Council met again and unanimously 
condemned the North Korean regimes most recent nuclear weapons test.
  This most recent test threatens to destabilize the entirety of 
Northeast Asia and is a direct threat to U.S. national security. That 
is why I encourage President Obama and the international community to 
take swift action against this irresponsible and dangerous behavior. I 
support new and stronger sanctions against North Korea to show that we 
mean business. We cannot simply continue to expand previously passed 
sanctions--they are not working.
  My heart goes out to the people of North Korea. On a daily basis, the 
North Korean people are subject to countless violations of their human 
rights including forced labor, starvation and wrongful imprisonment. 
Ignoring the plight of their own people, the North Korean regime would 
rather continue to isolate themselves, instead of reengage the 
international community to find meaningful and commonsense solutions. 
It is my hope that for the sake of their starving people, that the 
North Korean regime will halt any additional nuclear weapons tests.

[[Page H558]]

  Mr. Speaker, as the proud Representative of one of the largest Korean 
American populations in the country, many of whom fear for the safety 
of their friends and family abroad, I urge my colleagues to support 
this vital resolution. We must not stand idly by as North Korea 
continues to threaten U.S. national security and our friends and allies 
in the region.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, all of us condemn this reckless, provocative 
nuclear test by North Korea. North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear 
capability is destabilizing and not in the interest of the people of 
that nation, who suffer daily under one of the worst dictatorships the 
world has seen.
  Yet even as we condemn this test and seek to prevent future ones, we 
must not make the mistake of believing--as this resolution asserts--
that supporting more money for a ballistic missile defense system is 
the answer. America has wasted literally tens of billions of dollars 
since the 1980s in pursuit of a ballistic missile shield that is not 
technically feasible and is viewed as destabilizing by our 
international partners, especially Russia. While I support this 
resolution's condemnation of North Korea's test, I do not support its 
call for spending more money on a failed missile defense effort.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 65, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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