Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to the Department of State, the Government of North Korea is “a dictatorship under the absolute rule of Kim Jong Il” that continues to commit numerous, serious human rights abuses.
(2) The Government of North Korea attempts to control all information, artistic expression, academic works, and media activity inside North Korea and strictly curtails freedom of speech and access to foreign broadcasts.
(3) The Government of North Korea subjects all its citizens to systematic, intensive political and ideological indoctrination in support of the cult of personality glorifying Kim Jong Il and the late Kim Il Sung that approaches the level of a state religion.
(4) The Government of North Korea divides its population into categories, based on perceived loyalty to the leadership, which determines access to food, employment, higher education, place of residence, medical facilities, and other resources.
(5) According to the Department of State, “[t]he [North Korean] Penal Code is [d]raconian, stipulating capital punishment and confiscation of assets for a wide variety of ‘crimes against the revolution,’ including defection, attempted defection, slander of the policies of the Party or State, listening to foreign broadcasts, writing ‘reactionary’ letters, and possessing reactionary printed matter”.
(6) The Government of North Korea executes political prisoners, opponents of the regime, some repatriated defectors, some members of underground churches, and others, sometimes at public meetings attended by workers, students, and schoolchildren.
(7) The Government of North Korea holds an estimated 200,000 political prisoners in camps that its State Security Agency manages through the use of forced labor, beatings, torture, and executions, and in which many prisoners also die from disease, starvation, and exposure.
(8) According to eyewitness testimony provided to the United States Congress by North Korean camp survivors, camp inmates have been used as sources of slave labor for the production of export goods, as targets for martial arts practice, and as experimental victims in the testing of chemical and biological poisons.
(9) According to credible reports, including eyewitness testimony provided to the United States Congress, North Korean Government officials prohibit live births in prison camps, and forced abortion and the killing of newborn babies are standard prison practices.
(10) According to the Department of State, “[g]enuine religious freedom does not exist in North Korea” and, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, “[t]he North Korean state severely represses public and private religious activities” with penalties that reportedly include arrest, imprisonment, torture, and sometimes execution.
(11) More than 2,000,000 North Koreans are estimated to have died of starvation since the early 1990s because of the failure of the centralized agricultural and public distribution systems operated by the Government of North Korea.
(12) According to a 2002 United Nations-European Union survey, nearly one out of every ten children in North Korea suffers from acute malnutrition and four out of every ten children in North Korea are chronically malnourished.
(13) Since 1995, the United States has provided more than 2,000,000 tons of humanitarian food assistance to the people of North Korea, primarily through the World Food Program.
(14) Although United States food assistance has undoubtedly saved many North Korean lives and there have been minor improvements in transparency relating to the distribution of such assistance in North Korea, the Government of North Korea continues to deny the World Food Program forms of access necessary to properly monitor the delivery of food aid, including the ability to conduct random site visits, the use of native Korean-speaking employees, and travel access throughout North Korea.
(15) The risk of starvation, the threat of persecution, and the lack of freedom and opportunity in North Korea have caused large numbers, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of North Koreans to flee their homeland, primarily into China.
(16) North Korean women and girls, particularly those who have fled into China, are at risk of being kidnapped, trafficked, and sexually exploited inside China, where many are sold as brides or concubines, or forced to work as prostitutes.
(17) The Governments of China and North Korea have been conducting aggressive campaigns to locate North Koreans who are in China without permission and to forcibly return them to North Korea, where they routinely face torture and imprisonment, and sometimes execution.
(18) Despite China's obligations as a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, China routinely classifies North Koreans seeking asylum in China as mere “economic migrants” and returns them to North Korea without regard to the serious threat of persecution they face upon their return.
(19) The Government of China does not provide North Koreans whose asylum requests are rejected a right to have the rejection reviewed prior to deportation despite its obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
(20) North Koreans who seek asylum while in China are routinely imprisoned and tortured, and in some cases killed, after they are returned to North Korea.
(21) The Government of China has detained, convicted, and imprisoned foreign aid workers attempting to assist North Korean refugees in proceedings that did not comply with Chinese law or international standards.
(22) In January 2000, North Korean agents inside China allegedly abducted the Reverend Kim Dong-shik, a United States permanent resident and advocate for North Korean refugees, whose condition and whereabouts remain unknown.
(23) Between 1994 and 2003, South Korea has admitted approximately 3,800 North Korean refugees for domestic resettlement, a number that is small in comparison with the total number of North Korean escapees but far greater than the number legally admitted in any other country.
(24) Although the principal responsibility for North Korean refugee resettlement naturally falls to the Government of South Korea, the United States should play a leadership role in focusing international attention on the plight of these refugees, and formulating international solutions to that profound humanitarian dilemma.
(25) In addition to infringing the rights of its own citizens, the Government of North Korea has been responsible in years past for the abduction of numerous citizens of South Korea and Japan, whose condition and whereabouts remain unknown.
(Pub. L. 108–333, §3, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1287.)
Pub. L. 110–346, §1, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3939, provided that: “This Act [amending sections 7803, 7812, 7814, 7817, 7831, 7833, and 7845 of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the ‘North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008’.”
Pub. L. 108–333, §1, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1287, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004’.”
Pub. L. 110–346, §2, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3939, provided that: “Congress finds the following:
“(1) The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–333; 22 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.) (in this section referred to as ‘the Act’) was the product of broad, bipartisan consensus in Congress regarding the promotion of human rights, transparency in the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and refugee protection.
“(2) In addition to the longstanding commitment of the United States to refugee and human rights advocacy, the United States is home to the largest Korean population outside of northeast Asia, and many in the two-million strong Korean-American community have family ties to North Korea.
“(3) Human rights and humanitarian conditions inside North Korea are deplorable, North Korean refugees remain acutely vulnerable, and the findings in section 3 of the Act [22 U.S.C. 7801] remain accurate today.
“(4) The Government of China is conducting an increasingly aggressive campaign to locate and forcibly return border-crossers to North Korea, where they routinely face torture and imprisonment, and sometimes execution. According to recent reports, the Chinese Government is shutting down Christian churches and imprisoning people who help North Korean defectors and has increased the bounty paid for turning in North Korean refugees.
“(5) In an attempt to deter escape attempts, the Government of North Korea has reportedly stepped up its public execution of border-crossers and those who help others cross into China.
“(6) In spite of the requirement of the Act that the Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea (the ‘Special Envoy’) report to the Congress no later than April 16, 2005, a Special Envoy was not appointed until August 19, 2005, more than four months after the reporting deadline.
“(7) The Special Envoy appointed by the President has filled that position on a part-time basis only.
“(8) Since the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act, Congress has on several occasions expressed interest in the status of North Korean refugees, and on February 21, 2006, a bipartisan group of senior Members of the House and Senate wrote Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ‘to express [their] deep concern for the lack of progress in funding and implementing the key provisions of the North Korean Human Rights Act’, particularly the lack of North Korean refugee admissions to the United States.
“(9) Although the United States refugee resettlement program remains the largest in the world by far, the United States has resettled only 37 North Koreans in the period from 2004 through 2007.
“(10) From the end of 2004 through 2007, the Republic of Korea resettled 5,961 North Koreans.
“(11) Extensive delays in assessment and processing have led numerous North Korean refugees to abandon their quest for United States resettlement, and long waits (of more than a year in some cases) have been the source of considerable discouragement and frustration among refugees, many of whom are awaiting United States resettlement in circumstances that are unsafe and insecure.
“(12) From 2000 through 2006, the United States granted asylum to 15 North Koreans, as compared to 60 North Korean asylum grantees in the United Kingdom, and 135 in Germany during that same period.”
Pub. L. 110–346, §3, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3940, provided that: “It is the sense of Congress that—
“(1) the United States should continue to make it a priority to seek broader permission and greater cooperation from foreign governments to allow the United States to process North Korean refugees overseas for resettlement in the United States, through persistent diplomacy by senior officials of the United States, including United States ambassadors to Asia-Pacific nations;
“(2) at the same time that careful screening of intending refugees is important, the United States also should make every effort to ensure that its screening, processing, and resettlement of North Korean refugees are as efficient and expeditious as possible;
“(3) the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues should be a full-time position within the Department of State in order to properly promote and coordinate North Korean human rights and humanitarian issues, and to participate in policy planning and implementation with respect to refugee issues, as intended by the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–333; 22 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.);
“(4) in an effort to more efficiently and actively participate in humanitarian burden-sharing, the United States should approach our ally, the Republic of Korea, to revisit and explore new opportunities for coordinating efforts to screen and resettle North Koreans who have expressed a wish to pursue resettlement in the United States and have not yet availed themselves of any right to citizenship they may enjoy under the Constitution of the Republic of Korea; and
“(5) because there are genuine refugees among North Koreans fleeing into China who face severe punishments upon their forcible return, the United States should urge the Government of China to—
“(A) immediately halt its forcible repatriation of North Koreans;
“(B) fulfill its obligations pursuant to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the 1995 Agreement on the Upgrading of the UNHCR Mission in the People's Republic of China to UNHCR Branch Office in the People's Republic of China; and
“(C) allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) unimpeded access to North Koreans inside China to determine whether they are refugees and whether they require assistance.”
The purposes of this chapter are—
(1) to promote respect for and protection of fundamental human rights in North Korea;
(2) to promote a more durable humanitarian solution to the plight of North Korean refugees;
(3) to promote increased monitoring, access, and transparency in the provision of humanitarian assistance inside North Korea;
(4) to promote the free flow of information into and out of North Korea; and
(5) to promote progress toward the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula under a democratic system of government.
(Pub. L. 108–333, §4, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1290.)
In this chapter:
The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
The term “China” means the People's Republic of China.
The term “humanitarian assistance” means assistance to meet humanitarian needs, including needs for food, medicine, medical supplies, clothing, and shelter.
The term “North Korea” means the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The term “North Koreans” means persons who are citizens or nationals of North Korea.
The term “South Korea” means the Republic of Korea.
(Pub. L. 108–333, §5, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1290; Pub. L. 110–346, §4, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3941.)
2008—Par. (1)(A). Pub. L. 110–346 substituted “Foreign Affairs” for “International Relations”.
It is the sense of Congress that the human rights of North Koreans should remain a key element in future negotiations between the United States, North Korea, and other concerned parties in Northeast Asia.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §101, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1290.)
The President is authorized to provide grants to private, nonprofit organizations to support programs that promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea. Such programs may include appropriate educational and cultural exchange programs with North Korean participants, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by law.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the President $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008 and $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012 to carry out this section.
Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §102, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1290; Pub. L. 110–346, §5, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3941.)
2008—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 110–346 inserted “and $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012” after “2008”.
It is the sense of Congress that the United States should facilitate the unhindered dissemination of information in North Korea by increasing its support for radio broadcasting to North Korea, and that the Broadcasting Board of Governors should increase broadcasts to North Korea from current levels, with a goal of providing 12-hour-per-day broadcasting to North Korea, including broadcasts by Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.
Not later than 120 days after October 18, 2004, the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that—
(1) describes the status of current United States broadcasting to North Korea; and
(2) outlines a plan for increasing such broadcasts to 12 hours per day, including a detailed description of the technical and fiscal requirements necessary to implement the plan.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §103, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1291.)
The President is authorized to take such actions as may be necessary to increase the availability of information inside North Korea by increasing the availability of sources of information not controlled by the Government of North Korea, including sources such as radios capable of receiving broadcasting from outside North Korea.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the President $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2012 to carry out subsection (a).
Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.
Not later than 1 year after October 18, 2004, and annually through 2012, the Secretary of State, after consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report, in classified form, on actions taken pursuant to this section.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §104, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1291; Pub. L. 110–346, §7, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3941.)
2008—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 110–346, §7(1), substituted “2012” for “2008”.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–346, §7(2), substituted “annually through 2012” for “in each of the 3 years thereafter”.
It is the sense of Congress that the United Nations has a significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in North Korea, and that—
(1) the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) has taken positive steps by adopting Resolution 2003/10 and Resolution 2004/13 on the situation of human rights in North Korea, and particularly by requesting the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea; and
(2) the severe human rights violations within North Korea warrant country-specific attention and reporting by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §105, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1291.)
The Congress finds that human rights initiatives can be undertaken on a multilateral basis, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which established a regional framework for discussing human rights, scientific and educational cooperation, and economic and trade issues.
It is the sense of Congress that the United Sates 1 should explore the possibility of a regional human rights dialogue with North Korea that is modeled on the Helsinki process, engaging all countries in the region in a common commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §106, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1292.)
1 So in original. Probably should be “States”.
The President shall appoint a special envoy for North Korean human rights issues within the Department of State (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Special Envoy”), by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Special Envoy should be a person of recognized distinction in the field of human rights who shall have the rank of ambassador and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President.
The central objective of the Special Envoy is to coordinate and promote efforts to improve respect for the fundamental human rights of the people of North Korea, including, in coordination with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the protection of those people who have fled as refugees.
The Special Envoy shall—
(1) participate in the formulation and the implementation of activities carried out pursuant to this chapter;
(2) engage in discussions with North Korean officials regarding human rights;
(3) support international efforts to promote human rights and political freedoms in North Korea, including coordination and dialogue between the United States and the United Nations, the European Union, North Korea, and the other countries in Northeast Asia;
(4) consult with non-governmental organizations who have attempted to address human rights in North Korea;
(5) make recommendations regarding the funding of activities authorized in sections 7812 and 7814 of this title;
(6) review strategies for improving protection of human rights in North Korea, including technical training and exchange programs; and
(7) develop an action plan for supporting implementation of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Resolution 2004/13.
Not later than 180 days after October 18, 2004, and annually thereafter through 2012, the Special Envoy shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the activities undertaken in the preceding 12 months under subsection (c).
(Pub. L. 108–333, title I, §107, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1292; Pub. L. 110–346, §8, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3941.)
2008—Pub. L. 110–346, §8(1), substituted “North Korean human rights issues” for “human rights in North Korea” in section catchline.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–346, §8(2), in first sentence, substituted “North Korean human rights issues” for “human rights in North Korea” and inserted “, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate” before period at end and, in second sentence, inserted “who shall have the rank of ambassador and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President” before period at end.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–346, §8(3), inserted “, including, in coordination with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the protection of those people who have fled as refugees” after “North Korea”.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–346, §8(4), added par. (1), redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as (2) to (7), respectively, and substituted “sections 7812 and 7814” for “section 7812” in par. (5).
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–346, §8(5), substituted “thereafter through 2012” for “for the subsequent 5 year-period”.
Not later than 180 days after October 18, 2004, and annually thereafter through 2012, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in conjunction with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes—
(1) all activities to provide humanitarian assistance inside North Korea, and to North Koreans outside of North Korea, that receive United States funding;
(2) any improvements in humanitarian transparency, monitoring, and access inside North Korea during the previous 1-year period, including progress toward meeting the conditions identified in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 7832(b)(1) of this title; and
(3) specific efforts to secure improved humanitarian transparency, monitoring, and access inside North Korea made by the United States and United States grantees, including the World Food Program, during the previous 1-year period.
The information required by subsection (a)(1) may be provided in classified form if necessary.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title II, §201, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1293; Pub. L. 108–447, div. D, title V, §534(j), Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3007; Pub. L. 110–346, §9, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3942.)
2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–346 substituted “annually thereafter through 2012” for “in each of the 2 years thereafter” in introductory provisions.
2004—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 108–447 substituted “subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 7832(b)(1) of this title” for “paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 7832(b) of this title”.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) at the same time that Congress supports the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of North Korea on humanitarian grounds, such assistance also should be provided and monitored so as to minimize the possibility that such assistance could be diverted to political or military use, and to maximize the likelihood that it will reach the most vulnerable North Koreans;
(2) significant increases above current levels of United States support for humanitarian assistance provided inside North Korea should be conditioned upon substantial improvements in transparency, monitoring, and access to vulnerable populations throughout North Korea; and
(3) the United States should encourage other countries that provide food and other humanitarian assistance to North Korea to do so through monitored, transparent channels, rather than through direct, bilateral transfers to the Government of North Korea.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) United States humanitarian assistance to any department, agency, or entity of the Government of North Korea shall—
(A) be delivered, distributed, and monitored according to internationally recognized humanitarian standards;
(B) be provided on a needs basis, and not used as a political reward or tool of coercion;
(C) reach the intended beneficiaries, who should be informed of the source of the assistance; and
(D) be made available to all vulnerable groups in North Korea, no matter where in the country they may be located; and
(2) United States nonhumanitarian assistance to North Korea shall be contingent on North Korea's substantial progress toward—
(A) respect for the basic human rights of the people of North Korea, including freedom of religion;
(B) providing for family reunification between North Koreans and their descendants and relatives in the United States;
(C) fully disclosing all information regarding citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea abducted by the Government of North Korea;
(D) allowing such abductees, along with their families, complete and genuine freedom to leave North Korea and return to the abductees’ original home countries;
(E) reforming the North Korean prison and labor camp system, and subjecting such reforms to independent international monitoring; and
(F) decriminalizing political expression and activity.
Not later than 180 days after October 18, 2004, the Administrator of the Agency for International Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing compliance with this section.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title II, §202, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1293.)
The President is authorized to provide assistance to support organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the Government of North Korea.
Assistance provided under subsection (a) should be used to provide—
(1) humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees, defectors, migrants, and orphans outside of North Korea, which may include support for refugee camps or temporary settlements; and
(2) humanitarian assistance to North Korean women outside of North Korea who are victims of trafficking, as defined in section 7102(14) of this title, or are in danger of being trafficked.
In addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, there are authorized to be appropriated to the President $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2012 to carry out this section.
Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title II, §203, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1294; Pub. L. 110–346, §10, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3942.)
2008—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 110–346 substituted “2012” for “2008”.
Not later than 120 days after October 18, 2004, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report that describes the situation of North Korean refugees and explains United States Government policy toward North Korean nationals outside of North Korea.
The report shall include—
(1) an assessment of the circumstances facing North Korean refugees and migrants in hiding, particularly in China, and of the circumstances they face if forcibly returned to North Korea;
(2) an assessment of whether North Koreans in China have effective access to personnel of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and of whether the Government of China is fulfilling its obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, particularly Articles 31, 32, and 33 of such Convention;
(3) an assessment of whether North Koreans presently have unobstructed access to United States refugee and asylum processing, and of United States policy toward North Koreans who may present themselves at United States embassies or consulates and request protection as refugees or asylum seekers and resettlement in the United States;
(4) the total number of North Koreans who have been admitted into the United States as refugees or asylees in each of the past 5 years;
(5) an estimate of the number of North Koreans with family connections to United States citizens; and
(6) a description of the measures that the Secretary of State is taking to carry out section 7843 of this title.
The information required by paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b) shall be provided in unclassified form. All or part of the information required by subsection (b)(6) may be provided in classified form, if necessary.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title III, §301, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1295.)
The purpose of this section is to clarify that North Koreans are not barred from eligibility for refugee status or asylum in the United States on account of any legal right to citizenship they may enjoy under the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. It is not intended in any way to prejudice whatever rights to citizenship North Koreans may enjoy under the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, or to apply to former North Korean nationals who have availed themselves of those rights.
For purposes of eligibility for refugee status under section 1157 of title 8, or for asylum under section 1158 of title 8, a national of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shall not be considered a national of the Republic of Korea.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title III, §302, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1295.)
The Secretary of State shall undertake to facilitate the submission of applications under section 1157 of title 8 by citizens of North Korea seeking protection as refugees (as defined in section 1101(a)(42) of title 8).
(Pub. L. 108–333, title III, §303, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1296.)
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Government of China has obligated itself to provide the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with unimpeded access to North Koreans inside its borders to enable the UNHCR to determine whether they are refugees and whether they require assistance, pursuant to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and Article III, paragraph 5 of the 1995 Agreement on the Upgrading of the UNHCR Mission in the People's Republic of China to UNHCR Branch Office in the People's Republic of China (referred to in this section as the “UNHCR Mission Agreement”);
(2) the United States, other UNHCR donor governments, and UNHCR should persistently and at the highest levels continue to urge the Government of China to abide by its previous commitments to allow UNHCR unimpeded access to North Korean refugees inside China;
(3) the UNHCR, in order to effectively carry out its mandate to protect refugees, should liberally employ as professionals or Experts on Mission persons with significant experience in humanitarian assistance work among displaced North Koreans in China;
(4) the UNHCR, in order to effectively carry out its mandate to protect refugees, should liberally contract with appropriate nongovernmental organizations that have a proven record of providing humanitarian assistance to displaced North Koreans in China;
(5) the UNHCR should pursue a multilateral agreement to adopt an effective “first asylum” policy that guarantees safe haven and assistance to North Korean refugees; and
(6) should the Government of China begin actively fulfilling its obligations toward North Korean refugees, all countries, including the United States, and relevant international organizations should increase levels of humanitarian assistance provided inside China to help defray costs associated with the North Korean refugee presence.
It is further the sense of Congress that—
(1) if the Government of China continues to refuse to provide the UNHCR with access to North Koreans within its borders, the UNHCR should initiate arbitration proceedings pursuant to Article XVI of the UNHCR Mission Agreement and appoint an arbitrator for the UNHCR; and
(2) because access to refugees is essential to the UNHCR mandate and to the purpose of a UNHCR branch office, a failure to assert those arbitration rights in present circumstances would constitute a significant abdication by the UNHCR of one of its core responsibilities.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title III, §304, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1296.)
Not later than 1 year after October 18, 2004, and every 12 months thereafter through 2012, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a joint report to the appropriate congressional committees and the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the operation of this subchapter during the previous year, which shall include the following:
(1) The number of aliens who are nationals or citizens of North Korea who applied for political asylum and the number who were granted political asylum.
(2) The number of aliens who are nationals or citizens of North Korea who applied for refugee status and the number who were granted refugee status.
(3) A detailed description of the measures undertaken by the Secretary of State to carry out section 7843 of this title, including country-specific information with respect to United States efforts to secure the cooperation and permission of the governments of countries in East and Southeast Asia to facilitate United States processing of North Koreans seeking protection as refugees. The information required under this paragraph shall be provided in unclassified form, with a classified annex, if necessary.
The President shall include in each annual report on proposed refugee admission pursuant to section 1157(d) of title 8, information about specific measures taken to facilitate access to the United States refugee program for individuals who have fled countries of particular concern for violations of religious freedom, identified pursuant to section 6442(b) of this title. The report shall include, for each country of particular concern, a description of access of the nationals or former habitual residents of that country to a refugee determination on the basis of—
(1) referrals by external agencies to a refugee adjudication;
(2) groups deemed to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States for purposes of refugee resettlement; and
(3) family links to the United States.
(Pub. L. 108–333, title III, §305, Oct. 18, 2004, 118 Stat. 1297; Pub. L. 110–346, §11, Oct. 7, 2008, 122 Stat. 3942.)
2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–346, §11(1), (2), inserted “and refugee” before “information” in heading, and, in introductory provisions, substituted “through 2012” for “for each of the following 5 years” and “which shall include the following:” for “which shall include—”.
Pub. L. 110–346, §11(3)–(5), substituted “The number of aliens” for “the number of aliens” in pars. (1) and (2) and a period for “; and” in par. (1) and added par. (3).