[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 57 (Monday, April 3, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E431-E432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 NORTH KOREA STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM DESIGNATION ACT (H.R. 479) AND 
    CONDEMNING NORTH KOREA'S DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL BALLISTIC 
                         MISSILES (H. RES. 92)

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 3, 2017

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, North Korea is an existential 
threat to its neighbors and a global menace that requires constant 
vigilance and close cooperation between the U.S. and its regional 
allies. Ignoring North Korea's dangerous actions has been a bipartisan 
problem of the last three Administrations--and it is one that continues 
to need bipartisan solutions from the Congress.
  Secretary Tillerson announced recently that the U.S. will no longer 
be guided by the policy of ``strategic patience.'' The U.S. cannot sit 
on the sidelines while Kim Jong-un proliferates nuclear and missile 
technology, sponsors terrorism and human trafficking efforts, and 
continues to abuse the North Korean people.
  We trust that the threat posed by North Korea will be high on the 
agenda of President Trump and President Xi meeting this week. As we all 
know, the Chinese government's actions have not always been helpful.
  Though the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on North Korea recommended the 
U.N. impose targeted sanctions on the North Korean leaders responsible 
for massive crimes against humanity, China blocked effective U.N. 
actions.
  China's February announcement that it would cut off coal exports to 
North Korea is a needed and important step. But senior Chinese 
officials, such as Foreign Minister Wang Yi, continue to describe the 
China-North Korea relationship as being one of ``like lips to teeth.'' 
In other words, there is little daylight between Beijing and Pyongyang.

[[Page E432]]

  Such statements are not helpful when North Korea's nuclear 
proliferation and its development of multiple intercontinental 
ballistic missiles threaten to destabilize the world. The U.S. 
Intelligence Community's 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment concluded 
that North Korea is ``committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-
armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United 
States.
  Despite China's objections, there is need for deployment of the 
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and to conduct joint 
military exercises to strengthen coordination and cooperation posed by 
the threat of the North Korean military.
  The threat to the U.S. and its allies is not only in East Asia, but 
in the Middle East as well. We are certain that Iran, to whom the past 
Administration released billions of dollars, is one of North Korean's 
nuclear partners. As witnesses testified at a joint hearing last July 
held jointly by three Foreign Affairs subcommittees, there is ample 
evidence that Iran has a longstanding nuclear collaboration with North 
Korea.
  We should be very concerned that the Iranians will at some point 
acquire fissile material beyond what they are allowed to produce for 
themselves and threaten U.S. regional allies, including Israel.
  We must continue to uncover both Pyongyang's enablers and those it 
enables. We should target with sanctions those individuals responsible 
for gross human rights violations inside the so-called ``hermit 
kingdom'' and stop money and materials from reaching terrorists and 
nuclear proliferators globally.
  There is growing evidence that sanctions are having some effect. We 
know that high-level diplomats, military leaders, and the families of 
high-ranking officials are defecting--they are recognizing that they 
will be held accountable if they continue to support Kim Jong-Un's 
barbaric regime.
  I urge support for the legislation offered today and commend my 
colleagues for bringing this important legislation before the House.

                          ____________________