South OC Times

U.S. Representative Young Kim of California addressed the House floor, advocating for support of her bipartisan legislation, the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3012). The bill seeks to renew and update the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, which was originally enacted to advance human rights and freedom in North Korea.

Kim, who serves as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, emphasized the importance of this act. "I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 3012, the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act," she stated.

The proposed legislation aims to reauthorize existing programs through 2028 and improve oversight while calling for reunification efforts for Korean American families with relatives in North Korea. It also highlights the need for a dedicated U.S. Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea at the State Department.

"We need someone at the State Department dedicated entirely to North Korean human rights issues," Kim said, pointing out various human rights abuses occurring under Kim Jong Un's regime.

She cited numerous violations including child labor, forced sex trafficking involving government officials, and harsh conditions faced by an estimated 100,000 North Koreans subjected to forced labor in China. "Because torture, forced disappearances, imprisonment... are tools regularly used to consolidate the North Korean regime’s power," she added.

From January 2017 to December 2022, there was no appointed Special Envoy—a vacancy lasting nearly six years. Kim's bill mandates that if this position remains unfilled for over 180 days in future instances, a report on efforts to fill it must be submitted by the State Department.

With authorization having lapsed in 2022 for the original act passed in 2004, Kim stressed urgency: "We must get this legislation signed into law this Congress."

In her concluding remarks on H.R. 3012's necessity, she asserted: "Failing to reauthorize this landmark human rights initiative sends a signal to Kim Jong Un that the United States will allow human rights...to fall on deaf ears."

Kim expressed gratitude towards Representative Ami Bera as co-leader of this effort alongside Chairman McCaul and HFAC staff members who contributed their leadership towards advancing these causes. She urged fellow representatives' support: "I urge my colleagues to vote YES on H.R. 3012."