Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel Introduce Legislation to Tackle Growing North Korea Threat

Press Release

Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the Committee's Ranking Member, introduced the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act (H.R. 757), legislation that strengthens U.S. sanctions against North Korea. Similar legislation passed the House last year, but was not acted on by the Senate.

In the wake of the state-sponsored cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, the bipartisan legislation targets North Korea's access to the hard currency and other goods that help keep the regime in power. Additionally, it presses the Administration to use all available tools to impose sanctions against North Korea and on countries and companies that assist North Korea in bolstering its nuclear weapons program. The legislation also has an important human rights focus as a recent U.N. report found that the regime's abuses have no "parallel in the contemporary world."

On the legislation's introduction, Chairman Royce said: "North Korea continues to threaten the United States and our close allies with its nuclear, missile, and now cyber capabilities. I am pleased to join Ranking Member Engel in introducing legislation to step up the targeting of those financial institutions in Asia and beyond that are supporting this brutal and dangerous regime. By shutting down North Korea's illicit activities, we deprive the Kim regime of the money it needs to pay the generals and to conduct nuclear weapons research. I appreciate that humanitarian groups around the world are strongly supporting this bipartisan legislation."

On the legislation's introduction, Ranking Member Engel said: "North Korea is one of the most isolated, cruel and unpredictable regimes in the world. The activities of the Kim Regime threaten regional security through reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons, irresponsibly deploying offensive cyber capabilities, and a range of other illicit activities. The vast majority of North Koreans endure systematic violations of their most basic human rights. Widespread malnutrition, torture, and fear have made North Korea one of the most egregious human rights violators in the post-WWII era. It is past time to hold Pyongyang's elites responsible for their actions. This bipartisan legislation would strengthen U.S. sanctions and close loopholes used by the Kim Regime to profit from illicit activities. However, effectively enforcing sanctions against North Korea is not something that the United States can do alone--it requires our allies, our partners, and the rest of the global community to join in this effort."

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