House Reauthorizes North Korean Human Rights Act
May 17, 2012
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved the reauthorization of the North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA) until 2017. The NKHRA, which became law in October 2004, was previously reauthorized in 2008. The legislation addresses U.S. policy on issues including radio broadcasting into North Korea, humanitarian assistance to North Koreans within and outside of the DPRK, and North Korean eligibility for refugee status in the United States. NKHRA also established the position of Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights in 2004, and the 2008 reauthorization further outlined the scope of this position.
In addition to maintaining the Special Envoy position and other provisions, the reauthorizing legislation contains two notable changes. First, the new legislation adds a “Sense of Congress” clause calling for the U.S. to seek further cooperation with foreign governments to allow the United States to process North Korean refugees, and to urge China to halt the forcible repatriation of North Koreans and fulfill its obligations on refugees under international law.
Additionally, the Act’s annual authorized expenditure on assistance and protection to North Koreans outside of North Korea has been reduced from $20 million to $5 million annually. However, this will not result in any reduction in actual spending, as the State Department already has access to Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) funds to pay for such assistance, and its spending of funds specifically allocated through the NKHRA has been minimal. The reduced allocation therefore reflects a change in how the Congressional Budget Office will score the bill, but not in actual spending.
Text of the legislation is available here.
U.S. State Department, ROK Defense Ministry Oppose Nuclear Redeployment
May 14, 2012
Officials from the U.S. and South Korea have responded to the adoption of an amendment by the House Armed Services Committee which would call for studying the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to the Western Pacific, saying that the move would be militarily unnecessary and present diplomatic complications.
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said on Monday that "our policy remains support for a nonnuclear Korean Peninsula, so we don’t have any plans to change that policy. Tactical nuclear weapons, in our view, are unnecessary for the defense of South Korea. So we don’t have any plans or intention to deploy them there.”
An anonymous South Korean military source told the Choson Ilbo on Sunday that "If the U.S. redeploys nuclear weapons here, it means that we are abandoning the Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula adopted by the two Koreas in December 1991. This can only mean that we are removing the solid grounds to persuade North Korea to give up its own nuclear weapons."
Amendment Calls for Studying the Redeployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons to the Western Pacific
May 11, 2012
On May 10, 2012, the House Armed Services Committee approved by a vote of 32-26 an amendment to the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act expressing the "Sense of Congress" in support of deploying additional conventional forces to South Korea and redeploying tactical nuclear weapons in the Western Pacific – presumably to South Korea. The amendment also would require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on the feasibility of deploying nuclear forces and additional troops to the region.
While the “Sense of Congress” clause is not binding in any way, its inclusion in the final version of the legislation would be a strong signal of intent to the Obama administration and foreign governments.
"It's become time for us as a nation to look to our deterrent and our ability to take care of ourselves and work with our allies to do everything we can to deter and to be able to defend ourselves against any future belligerence or threats from North Korea," said Representative Trent Franks (R-Ariz..), who introduced the amendment.
The bill is now heading to the House floor for consideration; the Senate version of the bill is scheduled for markup from May 22-24.
Steph Haggard at Witness to Transformation and Jeff Lewis at Arms Control Wonk weigh in with commentary arguing strongly against the proposed legislation.
For more information on this bill and other recent legislation relevant to North Korea, see NCNK's Appropriations Briefing Book.
Georgia Chorus Performs in North Korea
May 2, 2012
In April, a Georgia-based chorus traveled to Pyongyang to perform at North Korea's spring arts festival, in a cultural exchange coordinated by Global Resource Services, an Atlanta-based humanitarian group.
"The theme of the festival is friendship, and with the conflict between our countries we always think any way we can try to build good will people-to-people that's private, not government, is a good thing to do," said Global Resource Services President Robert Springs.
Sons of Jubal, an all-male group, performed a variety of traditional American and Korean songs.
North Korea after Kim Jong-il: Still Erratic and Dangerous
April 18, 2012
On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on U.S. policy toward North Korea, focusing on the abortive Leap Day announcement, North Korea's attempted satellite launch, and Beijing's role in enforcing sanctions and using its leverage to change Pyongyang's policies.
The testimony of the speakers, and Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen's opening statement, can be found here. A catalog of other recent Congressional hearings on North Korea is available here.
UN Security Council Presidential Statement on DPRK Satellite Launch
April 17, 2012
Acting in the United States' capacity as president of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Susan Rice issued a Presidential Statement on Monday in response to North Korea's failed satellite launch on April 12. The Statement said that the Security Council "strongly condemns" the launch, and "underscores that this satellite launch, as well as any launch that uses ballistic missile technology, even if characterized as a satellite launch or space launch vehicle, is a serious violation of Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009)."
The Security Council further demanded that "the DPRK not proceed with any further launches using ballistic missile technology and comply with resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009) by suspending all activities related to its ballistic missile program and in this context re-establish its preexisting commitments to a moratorium on missile launches."
The Presidential Statement also said that the Security Council had agreed to adjust the sanctions established by UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, calling for the designation of additional entities and items within 15 days.
The DPRK's Foreign Ministry responded to the Presidential Statement on April 17, saying that "as the U.S. violated the Feb. 29 DPRK-U.S. agreement through its undisguised hostile acts, we will no longer be bound to it." The Foreign Minstry statement further warned that "we have thus become able to take necessary retaliatory measures, free from the agreement. The U.S. will be held wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences."
For the full text of the Presidential Statement, click here. Ambassador Rice's remarks to the press after the adoption of the Presidential Statement are available here; a UN Fact Sheet on the Presidential Statement can be found here. For the DPRK Foreign Ministry Statement, click here.
North Korea Attempts Satellite Launch
April 12, 2012
- Unha-3 Rocket
At 7:39 AM local time, North Korea launched its Unha-3 rocket, which appeared to break apart less than two minutes after takeoff.
In an article in KCNA, the DPRK acknowledged that the satellite "failed to enter its preset orbit," and said that "Scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure."
U.S. officials have told the media that the rocket appears to have broken apart shortly after the launch. The rocket flew south over the Yellow Sea, reportedly falling apart over waters near South Korea's Jeju Island.
"Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea's provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
"The President has been clear that he is prepared to engage constructively with North Korea. However, he has also insisted that North Korea live up to its own commitments, adhere to its international obligations and deal peacefully with its neighbors."
For a compilation of official statements and analysis on this launch attempt, click here.
Recommendations for US Policy Options
April 6, 2012
Several recent opinion pieces and articles recommend that the United States find ways to continue dialogue with North Korea despite the launch. VOA reported on April 5 that Ambassador Stephen Bosworth said that lines of communication with North Korea must remain open, even if there is little appetite for negotiations. Ambassador Don Gregg argued on April 3 in the Korea Times that technical experts should observe the launch, and the U.S. should send a special envoy -- perhaps Sen. Kerry -- to Pyongyang. On April 6 Ambassador Mort Abramowitz suggested in The National Interest that North Korea policy be handled by a high level administration official, such as the Vice President.
For more information and analysis regarding North Korea's satellite launch, click here.
Congressional Hearing on Stability on the Korean Peninsula
March 28, 2012
- General James D. Thurman (Wikimedia Commons)
General James D. Thurman, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and Dr. Peter Lavoy, Acting Assistant Secretary of State (Policy) for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs, testified before the House Armed Services Committee on issues including North Korea's planned satellite launch, the suspension of the U.S. nutritional assistance program for North Korea, and U.S.-ROK military cooperation.
In his written statement, General Thurman expressed his concern that "we are in a very uncertain period on the Korean Peninsula with the possibility of unexpected events leading to miscalculation.”
Dr. Lavoy confirmed that nutritional assistance would be suspended if North Korea goes ahead with its planned satellite launch, as it would signal that the DPRK could not be trusted to implement the agreed-to monitoring protocols.
General Thurman's and Dr. Lavoy's testimony can be found here.
An archive of Congressional hearings on North Korea can be found in NCNK's Congressional Briefing Book.
President Obama in South Korea for Nuclear Security Summit, Visits DMZ
March 26, 2012
In South Korea to attend the Second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, President Obama traveled to the DMZ on Sunday, telling US troops at Camp Bonifas that "When you think about the transformation that has taken place in South Korea during my lifetime, it is directly attributable to this long line of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen who were willing to create the space and the opportunity for freedom and prosperity."
President Obama also met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday to discuss the US-ROK Alliance and North Korea's planned satellite launch. President Obama described the consequences the launch would bring:
We’ve indicated to them very directly -- because this was part of discussions that had taken place among negotiators -- that it would be difficult to move forward with that [nutritional assistance] package if they show themselves unable to make commitments that they’ve made even a month earlier. Because part of the challenge for any nutrition aid package, for example, is that you makes sure it actually gets to the people who need it, and it doesn’t go to serve elites in that country or their military. That requires monitors. It’s very difficult to have monitors at a period of tension and friction. And it is difficult to provide aid if you don’t think that it’s going to get to the people who actually need it. So that’s just one example of the kinds of consequence that will take place.
I’ll also note that every time North Korea has violated international resolutions, the Security Council resolutions, it’s resulted in further isolation, tightening of sanctions, stronger enforcement, greater support on part of the international community for stronger enforcement. I suspect that will happen this time as well.
So they need to understand that bad behavior will not be rewarded. There had been a pattern, I think for decades, in which North Korea thought that if they acted provocatively then somehow they would be bribed into ceasing and desisting acting provocatively. And President Lee and I have agreed from the start of our relationship that we’re going to break that pattern. And I suspect that it will ultimately end up having the impact intended, but in the meantime, it’s the people of North Korea that are most likely to suffer.
In remarks at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Monday, President Obama spoke directly to the North Korean leadership:
By now it should be clear, your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek; they have undermined it. Instead of the dignity you desire, you're more isolated. Instead of earning the respect of the world, you've been met with strong sanctions and condemnation. You can continue down the road you are on, but we know where that leads. It leads to more of the same -- more broken dreams, more isolation, ever more distance between the people of North Korea and the dignity and the opportunity that they deserve.
And know this: There will be no rewards for provocations. Those days are over. To the leaders of Pyongyang I say, this is the choice before you. This is the decision that you must make. Today we say, Pyongyang, have the courage to pursue peace and give a better life to the people of North Korea.
US NGOs Call for Resumption of Proposed Aid Program
"Delay or potential cancellation of this program would violate humanitarian principles which hold that lifesaving assistance should not be used to achieve political aims," the statement said. In prior visits to North Korea, the NGOs had repeatedly witnessed "extensive food insecurity and malnutrition, especially among young children, pregnant and nursing mothers and hospitalized patients."
Last week, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that "it’s very hard to imagine" how the nutritional assistance program would move forward if North Korea were to go ahead with its planned satellite launch.
US Announces Suspension of POW/MIA Remains Recovery Operations
March 21, 2012
The Associated Press and American Forces Press Service report that the US is suspending its efforts to recover POW/MIA remains in North Korea. The US and DPRK had previously agreed to begin the first of four planned missions this April; it would have been the first such mission since the efforts were previously suspended in 2005.
“When there are suggestions that they might launch ballistic missiles, when they make bellicose statements about South Korea, and engage in actions that could be construed as provocative, we think that it’s not the right time to undertake this effort,” said Pentagon press secretary George Little.“We do hope at some point to be able to re-engage the effort.”
Pentagon Spokeswoman Tara Rigler said in a statement that the US considers the remains recovery operations a humanitarian issue and does not link them with other policy issues. However, she said that North Korea had politicized the missions "by linking them to long-standing annual military exercises" between the US and South Korea.
For more information on POW/MIA remains recovery missions, see NCNK's Briefing Book.
North Korea Announces Plans for Satellite Launch
March 16, 2012
North Korea announced today that it plans to send a satellite into orbit next month, timed to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung. KCNA stated that "Kwangmyongsong-3, a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite, will be blasted off southward from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province between April 12 and 16, lifted by carrier rocket Unha-3."
The US State Department was quick to issue a response:
Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the non-proliferation and disarmament program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explains thatNorth Korea’s announcement that it plans to conduct a missile launch in direct violation of its international obligations is highly provocative. UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874 clearly and unequivocally prohibit North Korea from conducting launches that use ballistic missile technology. Such a missile launch would pose a threat to regional security and would also be inconsistent with North Korea’s recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches. We call on North Korea to adhere to its international obligations, including all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. We are consulting closely with our international partners on next steps.
Space launches differ from ballistic-missile tests in their purpose and trajectory. Where space launches only need to go up, ballistic missiles must also come down, to securely deliver their payload, and need to survive atmospheric re-entry. The 2011 IISS Strategic Dossier on North Korean Security Challenges describes the differences in detail (p. 155). But because satellite-launch rockets and ballistic missiles share the same bodies, engines, launch sites and other development processes, they are intricately linked. The satellite launch also provides missile-development information regarding propulsion, guidance and operational aspects.
For more information and analysis, click here.
Upcoming Track II Talks with Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho
March 5, 2012
Ri Yong-ho, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister and chief envoy to the Six-Party Talks, will be attending several Track II meetings in New York this week, where he may meet with US and South Korean officials, according to news reports. His visit comes in the wake of the February 29 US-North Korean announcement that, in addition to pledging a nuclear freeze and US nutritional assistance to North Korea, promised an increase in "people-to-people exchanges."
Ri is scheduled to attend a forum hosted by Syracuse University's Maxwell School on Wednesday. The Korea Times, citing an anonymous diplomatic source, says that participants or observers at this meeting may include South Korean envoy to the Six-Party Talks Lim Sung-nam; former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry; and James Steinberg, former Deputy Secretary of State and Dean of the Maxwell School.
The Syracuse forum will be followed by another Track II meeting sponsored by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Yonhap reports that Ri may meet with US Special Envoy for North Korea policy Glyn Davies, and Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Clifford Hart, at this event. However, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated that "we currently have no plans to have U.S. Government meetings" with the Track II delegation, adding that "it’ll be a good thing if there are positive North-South contacts on the margins of the Maxwell School event."
North Korea Agrees to Suspend Nuclear Activities at Yongbyon
February 29, 2012
Following the US-DPRK exploratory talks in Beijing this week, North Korea has agreed to implement a moratorium on nuclear tests, missile launches, and nuclear activities at Yongbyon, including its enrichment program, as announced by both the State Department and KCNA. North Korea has also agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to return to the country to verify and monitor the moratorium on enrichment and the disablement of its 5-MW reactor and related facilities at Yongbyon. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the September 19, 2005 agreement and the U.S. reaffirmed that "it does not have hostile intent toward the DPRK and is prepared to take steps to improve our bilateral relationship in the spirit of mutual respect for sovereignty and equality."
The US and North Korea will also meet in the near future to discuss monitoring conditions for 240,000 metric tons of nutritional assistance, with the prospect of additional assistance based on continued need. The Korea Herald reports that North Korea sought 50,000 tons of corn in addition to the 240,000 tons of nutritional assistance that was first outlined last December.
For more resources and analysis on this announcement, see NCNK's briefing book.
Philip Yun: Don't Ignore North Korea
February 8, 2012
Philip Yun argues in The Hill that policies oriented toward either regime change in North Korea or a wait-and-see approach are flawed, and that a proactive policy will be necessary to prevent another North Korean nuclear nuclear test.
Despite our best efforts, we remain woefully in the dark about the internal leadership dynamics of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This is particularly true for Kim Jong Un. Many assessments of the young Kim rely on anecdotes and hearsay. Given this lack of knowledge, it would be folly to try to steer North Korea’s leadership transition, especially as China is firmly in Kim Jong Un’s court. If the United States, Republic of Korea (ROK) or Japan were to intervene, the unintended consequences could be profound, with a misstep erupting into an ugly scenario pitting a Beijing-backed faction against one backed by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Just as a policy of fostering regime change is not tenable, a seemingly reasonable wait-and-see/status quo approach is also inadequate. It could sow the seeds for yet another nuclear test in 2013, which could lead to engineering advances that allow the totalitarian North to produce smaller (and more) nuclear warheads. And what better way for a determined North Korea to “market” its nuclear know-how for export?
Cathcart: China and the North Korean Succession
January 27, 2012
Adam Cathcart, editor of the blog Sino-NK, has collected and edited a lengthy dossier, "China and the North Korean Succession," containing translations of Chinese materials concerning North Korea:
This dossier, the first in an ongoing series of SinoNK.com digests on relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), draws upon a number of open source Chinese materials to provide a clearer sketch of the Sino-North Korean relationship during the eight days following the announcement of Kim Jong-Il’s death.
This dossier represents the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinese interactions with and analysis of North Korea in this period. A careful approach to the documents selected, rather than an attempt at true comprehensiveness, was favored. Several of the sources featured in this dossier are being made available for the first time in English. These include dispatches from the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, more accurate translations from state media stories of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao’s visits to the DPRK Embassy in Beijing, and editorials from Huanqiu Shibao [环球时 报/ Global Times] and important “think-tank intellectuals” in China. Also included is a sample of what Kim’s death looked like from the perspective of one rather active corner of the microblogging site Sina Weibo.
For more resources on the new leadership in North Korea, see 's After Kim Jong-il briefing book.
Spencer Kim: "A New Model" for Engaging North Korea
January 27, 2012
Spencer Kim, following the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Korea, calls for a "new model" for relations between North Korea and the world, one that is “holistic, sequential, sustained and consensual.” He also addresses the importance of creating a stronger base of knowledge on North Korea:
The second element of the “New Model” is the creation of a reliable “epistemic” community on North Korea. It was clear to those of us on the council, that there is no agreement among “experts” on North Korea on even on the most narrow set of facts, and no reliable understanding of the workings of the international community, and the players in Northeast Asia, among North Koreans. In other words, considering the magnitude of the issue, we don’t know much about each other ― but we do have a full panoply of preconceptions and stereotypes constantly played back by both the media and propaganda to the point that reality has been distorted out of all proportion. And we are all, on all sides, unconsciously victims of the distortion. Like the poor souls in Plato’s Cave, we see the shadows and allow our imaginations to conjure up a distorted reality.
Kurt Campbell on US-Asia Relations and Engagement with North Korea
January 20, 2012
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell spoke at the Stimson Center on Thursday on a number of topics in US-Asian relations, including future engagement with North Korea the possibility of the resumption of the Six-Party Talks (discussion of North Korea begins 28 minutes into the video).
2012 Joint New Year Editorial
January 1, 2012
On January 1, 2012 the DPRK published its Joint New Year's Editorial mourning the loss of Kim Jong Il, announcing that 2012 will be the year when "Kim Jong Il's plan for achieving prosperity will bear a brilliant fruit, and the year of a grand march, when a new century of Kim Il Sung's Korea begins." The editorial extols Kim Jong Un as "precisely the great Kim Jong Il," and goes on to state that the country "[M]ust vigorously launch an all-out drive to implement our Party's grand strategy for achieving prosperity," with an emphasis on light industry, electricity production, and solving the food problem. While referencing the importance of the “Songun-based revolutionary leadership” and the KPA, the editorial proclaims that “To strengthen the Party and enhance its leadership role to the maximum is the decisive guarantee for unfolding a new era of prosperity true to the behests of Kim Jong Il,” stating that "'Let us do many more things for the benefit of the people' -this must be the slogan of action and conscience for our officials in supporting the intentions of the great Party."
In addition to extolling the DPRK's relations with China and Russia, the editorial states that
The entire nation, under the unfurled banner of anti-war and peace, should smash every move of reckless military provocation, arms buildup and war exercises against the north. Constant vigilance against the danger of military collaboration of the bellicose forces within the country and without should be maintained, and the US aggressor forces, the main obstacle to peace in the Korean peninsula, should be pulled out from south Korea.
To read the full editorial click here.
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Who We Are
The National Committee is a non-partisan coalition of individuals with extensive and complementary knowledge of and direct experience related to the society, economy, government, and history of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
We are a diverse group. A number of members served as diplomats in some of the landmark U.S.-DPRK negotiations. Some have authored major books on the history, society, and security of the Korean Peninsula. Other members have worked in virtually all parts of North Korea, and on issues related to the country's current economic, humanitarian, refugee, and medical crises. Some of our experience reaches back to the era of the Korean War. Most have extensive contacts in the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, and Russia related to the Korean Peninsula. While the National Committee on North Korea is non-governmental, several of the members have worked in official positions and have ongoing ties with current or past administrations and with the United States Congress.
The idea to form a National Committee on North Korea originated during The Musgrove III Conference held in mid-May 2004, which was attended by many of the founding committee members. The first meeting was held on November 4, 2004.
