U.S. senators voted unanimously to pass a strong North Korea sanctions bill Wednesday, days after the communist nation sparked global outrage with a banned missile launch following its fourth nuclear test.
The Senate approved the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2016 in a 96-0 vote, demonstrating bipartisan support for a tough response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests that showed the regime has made strides in efforts to develop nuclear missiles capable of reaching the U.S.
The legislation calls for the mandatory blacklisting of those assisting Pyongyang with its nuclear and missile programs, human rights abuses, cyberattacks and other crimes. It is believed to be the strongest sanctions bill ever introduced in Congress against the communist nation.
The legislation (H.R. 757), which was originally authored by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, passed the House last month before it was combined with similar bills in the Senate proposed by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
(Yonhap)
Now, it has to pass the House again before heading to President Barack Obama, but House passage is seen as a formality. If passed by the House, it will be the first sanctions legislation exclusively targeting North Korea to pass both the House and the Senate.
Many North Korea sanctions bills have been introduced, but none of them have passed both chambers.
"This legislation ... will use targeted sanctions to isolate Kim Jong-un and his top officials from the assets they maintain in foreign banks, and from the cash that sustains their weapons programs, their army, and their luxurious lifestyle," Royce said in a statement.
"It's an important response to North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launch, and it's a break from President Obama's approach of 'strategic patience' that even the administration knows isn't working," he said, criticizing Obama policy on the North.
The bill centers on imposing mandatory sanctions on those who contribute to the North's nuclear and missile development as well as other weapons of mass destruction programs, including importing and exporting related materials.
It also levies mandatory sanctions on those who engage in the North's cyber attacks, import luxury goods into the country, or enable its censorship efforts or continuing human rights abuses, as well as those who have engaged in money laundering, the manufacture of counterfeit goods or narcotics trafficking.
It also targets Pyongyang's trade in minerals and precious metals, a key source of hard currency for Pyongyang.
In particular, the legislation calls for the secretary of state to "make specific findings with respect to the responsibility of Kim Jong-un" for human rights violations in the country.
"It is evident the regime's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities are growing, not slowing. At the same time, North Korea has bolstered its cyberattacks and continues to imprison and horrifically torture more than 200,000 of its own men, women, and children," said Gardner, chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia.
"This legislation is the first step toward building a new policy that will put pressure on Pyongyang to peacefully disarm and cease its violations of international norms," he said in a statement. "It's far past time to counter the forgotten maniac." (Yonhap)
