[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 11, 2013

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention 
to the human rights situation in North Korea. We all remain hopeful 
that the transition to the leadership of Kim Jong-Un has created new 
possibilities but we are well aware that there remain fundamental human 
rights violations in North Korea and humanitarian conditions in North 
Korea remain deplorable. I believe it is fair to say that the findings 
in the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act and 2008 and 2012 
Reauthorizations remain substantially accurate today. That is not just 
my opinion, it was the bi-partisan consensus of this Congress when it 
reauthorized the North Korean Human Rights Act until 2017.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that democracy, economic growth and human 
development are intimately linked and perhaps nowhere is that more 
evident than the comparison of North and South Korea. South Korea has 
taken the path toward more democracy, more human rights, more 
education, higher living standards and economic self-sufficiency. North 
Korea has shunned that road . . . and the results of those policies are 
now glaringly evident. Perhaps even more relevant in today's world is 
the link of democracy and economic growth to peace. South Korea is not 
only a major trading partner but an ally in the region while North 
Korea remains a major source of regional and global instability and 
insecurity.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has one of the largest Korean 
populations outside of the Korean Peninsula with millions who have 
family ties to North Korea and the Seventh Congressional District has 
its share of the Korean diaspora. Like so many of my constituents, I 
believe the U.S. must continue its commitment to aid North Korean 
refugees and advocate for the human rights of the North Korean people. 
We share the pain of those who have been deprived of these most basic 
rights and the suffering of those who live in miserable conditions and 
look forward to the day when the Korean leadership will provide 
transparency in the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and guarantee 
the rights of those who seek refuge abroad.
  I want to thank my constituent Mr. David Chang, a consistent advocate 
of human rights, for helping to maintain a focus on this critical 
issue.

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