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The government was silent concerning the U.S. Senate's unanimous passing two days ago of the North Korean Human Rights Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July. The Uri Party, too, was silent. The silence on the part of the government and ruling party may be taken as meaning they have complaints or reservations concerning the law. Accordingly, the world might be curious as to what our government thinks about North Korean human rights and how it plans to deal with the issue.
Because the North Korean Human Rights Act passed through the U.S. Senate after some of the language had been changed, it must go through the U.S. House again, but this is a formality, and as the White House has expressed no real difference of opinion with the legislation, it is sure to go into effect. Moreover, if the law is passed, the U.S. government could immediately appropriate US$23 million annually to improve human rights in North Korea and help defectors over the next four years, and would allow defectors to apply for asylum and refugee status in the United States. By mobilizing possible methods to improve human rights in North Korea, the will on the part of the White House and U.S. Congress to press for change in North Korea is being put into practice.
Despite these changes in the actions and vision of the world, including the United States, concerning human rights in North Korea, our government has adopted a very vague attitude toward North Korean human rights up till now. It abstained from a vote on a U.N. resolution on North Korean human rights at the beginning of the year, and when North Korea suspended intra-Korean dialogue because of the airlift of North Korean defectors to Seoul and the passing by the U.S. House of the North Korean Human Rights Act, our government instead expressed regret concerning South Korean civic groups who have assisted North Korean defectors. Some Uri Party lawmakers have criticized the North Korean Human Rights Act as "interference in North Korea's internal affairs" and even sent a letter to the U.S. Congress expressing concern.
The logic within the Uri Party that considers a law helping defectors who have risked their lives to escape from a living hell as "interference in North Korea's internal affairs" would be a mystery to no matter who looked at it. Our placing importance on improving the intra-Korean relationship in ultimately to allow our Northern brothers to live in an improved environment where their human rights are respected. If the government and ruling party agree with this opinion shared by the majority of citizens, rather than expressing opposition and differences of opinion with the North Korean Human Rights Act, it should present a stronger and more direct alternative to improve the human rights of our Northern brothers before the international community does.
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