SR0946 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0946 LRB098 20370 GRL 55918 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; following his death in 1994, Kim Il-sung was succeeded by his eldest son, Kim Jong-il; on December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-il died and his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, was immediately installed as his successor; the majority of the North Korean people have experienced unimaginable suffering during the regimes of all 3 dictators; 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; and

WHEREAS, The North Korean government has executed political prisoners, other outspoken opponents of the regime, and certain "repatriated" defectors, as well as members of outlawed religions and organizations; and

WHEREAS, The North Korean government currently holds almost a quarter of a million political prisoners in camps under deplorable conditions; 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, The North Korean government continues to prevent the monitoring of the delivery of food aid provided by the World Food Program since 1995; 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; 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; and

WHEREAS, While the responsibility for domestic refugee resettlement naturally devolves to the South Koreans, 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 articulate our support for development of a Human Rights and Democracy program that includes meaningful cultural and educational exchanges with North Korea; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon the United States government 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 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.