[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3067-S3071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

    SENATE RESOLUTION 180--URGING ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS AGAINST THE 
     DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. GARDNER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 180

       Whereas the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 
     tested nuclear weapons on three separate occasions, in 
     October 2006, in May 2009, and in February 2013;
       Whereas nuclear experts have reported that the DPRK may 
     currently have as many as 20 nuclear warheads and has the 
     potential to possess as many as 100 warheads within the next 
     5 years;
       Whereas, according to the 2014 Department of Defense (DoD) 
     report, ``Military and Security Developments Involving the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea'', the DPRK has 
     proliferated nuclear technology to Libya via the 
     proliferation network of Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan;
       Whereas, according to the 2014 DoD report, ``North Korea 
     also provided Syria with nuclear reactor technology until 
     2007.'';
       Whereas, on September 6, 2007, as part of ``Operation 
     Orchard'', the Israeli Air Force destroyed the suspected 
     nuclear facility in Syria;
       Whereas, according to the 2014 DoD report, ``North Korea 
     has exported conventional and ballistic missile-related 
     equipment, components, materials, and technical assistance to 
     countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.'';
       Whereas, on November 29, 1987, DPRK agents planted 
     explosive devices onboard Korean Air flight 858, which killed 
     all 115 passengers and crew on board;
       Whereas, on March 26, 2010, the DPRK fired upon and sank 
     the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46 of her crew;
       Whereas, on November 23, 2010, the DPRK shelled South 
     Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, killing 4 South Korean citizens;
       Whereas, on February 7, 2014, the United Nations 
     ``Commission of Inquiry on human rights in DPRK (`Commission 
     of Inquiry')'' released a report detailing the atrocious 
     human rights record of the DPRK;
       Whereas Dr. Michael Kirby, Chair of the Commission, stated 
     on March 17, 2014, ``The Commission of Inquiry has found 
     systematic, widespread, and grave human rights violations 
     occurring in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It 
     has also found a disturbing array of crimes against humanity. 
     These crimes are committed against inmates of political and 
     other prison camps; against starving populations; against 
     religious believers; against persons who try to flee the 
     country--including those forcibly repatriated by China.'';
       Whereas Dr. Michael Kirby also stated, ``These crimes arise 
     from policies established at the highest level of the State. 
     They have been committed, and continue to take place in the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea, because the policies, 
     institutions, and patterns of impunity that lie at their 
     heart remain in place. The gravity, scale, duration, and 
     nature of the unspeakable atrocities committed in the country 
     reveal a totalitarian State that does not have any parallel 
     in the contemporary world.'';
       Whereas the Commission of Inquiry also notes, ``Since 1950, 
     the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has engaged in the 
     systematic abduction, denial of repatriation, and subsequent 
     enforced disappearance of persons from other countries on a 
     large scale and as a matter of State policy. Well over 
     200,000 persons, including children, who were brought from 
     other countries to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 
     may have become victims of enforced disappearance,'' and 
     states that the DPRK has failed to account or address this 
     injustice in any way;
       Whereas, according to reports and analysis from 
     organizations such as the International Network for the Human 
     Rights of North Korean Overseas Labor, the Korea Policy 
     Research Center, NK Watch, the Asan Institute for Policy 
     Studies, the Center for International and Strategic Studies 
     (CSIS), and the George W. Bush Institute, there may currently 
     be as many as 100,000 North Korean overseas laborers in 
     various nations around the world;
       Whereas these forced North Korean laborers are often 
     subjected to harsh working conditions under the direct 
     supervision of DPRK officials, and their salaries contribute 
     to anywhere from $150,000,000 to $230,000,000 a year to the 
     DPRK state coffers;
       Whereas, according to the Director of National 
     Intelligence's (DNI) 2015 Worldwide Threat Assessment, 
     ``North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs pose a 
     serious threat to the United States and to the security 
     environment in East Asia.'';
       Whereas the 2015 DNI report states, ``North Korea has also 
     expanded the size and sophistication of its ballistic missile 
     forces, ranging from close-range ballistic missiles to ICBMs, 
     while continuing to conduct test launches. In 2014, North 
     Korea launched an unprecedented number of ballistic 
     missiles.'';
       Whereas, on December 19, 2015, the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation (FBI) declared that the DPRK was responsible 
     for a cyberattack on Sony Pictures conducted on November 24, 
     2014;
       Whereas, from 1998 to 2008, the DPRK was designated by the 
     United States Government as a state sponsor of terrorism;
       Whereas the DPRK is currently in violation of United 
     Nations Security Council Resolutions 1695 (2006), 1718 
     (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), and 2094 (2013);
       Whereas the DPRK repeatedly violated agreements with the 
     United States and the other so-called Six-Party Talks 
     partners (the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Russian 
     Federation, and the People's Republic of China) designed to 
     halt its nuclear weapons program, while receiving significant 
     concessions, including fuel, oil, and food aid;

[[Page S3071]]

       Whereas the Six Party talks have not been held since 
     December 2008; and
       Whereas, on May 9, 2015, the DPRK claimed that it has test-
     fired a ballistic missile from a submarine: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) finds that the DPRK represents a serious threat to the 
     national security of the United States and United States 
     allies in East Asia and to international peace and stability, 
     and grossly violates the human rights of its own people;
       (2) urges the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the 
     Treasury to impose additional sanctions against the DPRK, 
     including targeting its financial assets around the world, 
     specific designations relating to human rights abuses, and a 
     redesignation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terror; and
       (3) warns the President against resuming the negotiations 
     with the DPRK, either bilaterally or as part of the Six Party 
     talks, without strict pre-conditions, including that the 
     DPRK--
       (A) adhere to its denuclearization commitments outlined in 
     the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party talks;
       (B) commit to halting its ballistic missile programs and 
     its proliferation activities;
       (C) cease military provocations; and
       (D) measurably and significantly improve its human rights 
     record.

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