SR0649 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0649 LRB098 14517 GRL 49267 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Under the misnomer of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the current North Korean government is a continuation of the absolute dynastic dictatorship started by Kim Il-sung in 1948 after the bifurcation of Korea at the end of World War II; and

WHEREAS, Following his death in 1994, Kim Il-sung was succeeded by his eldest son, Kim Jong-il, and was designated as the "Eternal President" by the North Korean constitution; on December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-il succumbed to a heart attack and his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, was immediately installed as his successor; and

WHEREAS, The majority of the North Korean people have experienced unimaginable suffering during the regimes of all 3 dictators; the systemic ideological indoctrination in support of the "cult of personality" glorifying the dynasty amounts to a state religion; loyalty to this leadership cult determines not only social status but also employment, housing, and other resources, as well as such basic necessities, such as access to healthcare and even food; and

WHEREAS, The North Korean government's top priority is total control of all aspects of life in North Korea; all information, artistic expression, academic works, and media activity within its borders is strictly limited, as is freedom of speech; attempted defection, "slander" against the ruling party or its leaders, listening to foreign broadcasts, writing "reactionary" letters, or possession of "reactionary" printed matter is met with severe punishments and confiscation of assets; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the aforementioned and numerous incidents of human rights abuses that continue to occur in North Korea, the government has committed far more serious acts, such as the execution of political prisoners, other outspoken opponents of the regime, and certain "repatriated" defectors, as well as members of outlawed religions and organizations; these executions are sometimes performed at public meetings attended by workers, students, and schoolchildren; and

WHEREAS, The North Korean government currently holds almost a quarter of a million political prisoners in camps under deplorable conditions; forced labor, beatings, torture, and executions are common and those who survive such treatment often die from disease, starvation, and overexposure; eyewitness testimony provided to the United States Congress by survivors of these camps report that inmates are used as slave labor for the production of exported goods, as targets for martial arts practice, and the subjects of chemical and biological weapons testing; and

WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, more than 2 million inhabitants of North Korea died of starvation due to the failure of the North Korean government-operated centralized agricultural and distribution systems; a 2002 United Nations-European Union survey indicated that one out of every 10 North Korean children are acutely malnourished and 4 out of 10 are chronically malnourished; and

WHEREAS, Although the United States has provided more than 2 million tons of food to the North Korean people through the World Food Program since 1995, the North Korean government continues to prevent the World Food Program from monitoring the delivery of food aid and denies the use of Korean-speaking natives to help and travel access throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, The resultant risk of starvation, threat of persecution, and lack of personal freedoms have caused hundreds of thousands of North Koreans to flee, primarily into China, where the women are often at risk of being kidnapped and sold as brides, concubines, or forced into prostitution; in spite of China's obligation as a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees as well as the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Chinese government is cooperating with North Korean officials to locate North Koreans who are in China without official permission; the Chinese government classifies those seeking asylum as "economic migrants" and returns them to North Korea, without regard to the serious threat of persecution that awaits them upon their "repatriation"; and

WHEREAS, The Chinese government has consistently detained, convicted, and imprisoned foreign aid workers who, in accord with United Nations conventions and protocol, assist these North Korean aliens; it has been alleged that, in January of 2000, North Korean agents abducted Reverend Kim Dong-shik, a permanent resident of the United States and an advocate for North Korean refugees; his whereabouts and condition remain unknown; and

WHEREAS, While the responsibility for domestic refugee resettlement naturally devolves to the South Koreans, who have legally admitted more than any other country with approximately 3,800 refugees between 1994 and 2003, the United States should play a leadership role in addressing the plight of these refugees and develop international solutions for this humanitarian crisis; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express our solidarity with the North Korean refugees in their quest for relief from hunger and persecution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we applaud United States Secretary of State John Kerry's initiative for taking steps toward the development of a framework for the resumption of talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and articulate our support for development of a Human Rights and Democracy program that includes meaningful cultural and educational exchanges with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon President Barack Obama to appoint a special envoy for human rights in North Korea and implore both houses of the United States Congress to take a leadership role in forming an international framework for resettlement of North Korean refugees both here and abroad; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Human Rights Commission to take notice of this resolution and to take whatever actions they might deem appropriate and necessary to address the issues raised therein; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and the Illinois Human Rights Commission.