H. Res. 634 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

September 7, 2016. 

Whereas, on January 6, 2016, North Korea conducted its 

fourth nuclear test and on February 6, 2016, North 

Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile technology test, both constituting direct and egregious violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions; 

Whereas each of the governments of the United States, the 

Republic of Korea (ROK), and Japan have condemned 

the tests, underscoring the importance of a strong and 

united international response; 

Whereas the ROK President Park Geun-hye and Japan 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to work with the 

United States both to institute strong measures in reaction to North Korean provocations, and to prevent North 

Korea from becoming a nuclear weapons state; 

Whereas the United States, ROK, and Japan have signed a 

framework to enhance information sharing called the 

‘‘Trilateral Information Sharing Arrangement Concerning 

the Nuclear and Missile Threats Posed by North Korea’’; 

Whereas Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea (ROK), 

is 35 miles from the Demilitarized Zone, and Japan is 

650 miles from North Korea, both within reach of North 

Korea’s weapons; 
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•HRES 634 EH 

Whereas North Korea already has an estimated stockpile of 

nuclear material that could be converted into 13–21 nuclear weapons, with clear intentions to continue building 

its nuclear arsenal; 

Whereas North Korea consistently conducts destabilizing domestic military drills, including firing short range missiles into the territorial waters of its neighbors; 

Whereas Admiral William Gortney, Commander of the United 

States Northern Command has assessed on October 5, 

2015, that the North Koreans ‘‘have the capability to 

reach the [U.S.] homeland with a nuclear weapon from 

a rocket’’ and U.S. Forces Korea Commander General 

Curtis M. Scaparrotti said on October 24, 2014, that 

North Koreans ‘‘have the capability to have miniaturized 

the device [a nuclear warhead] at this point, and they 

have the technology to potentially deliver what they say 

they have.’’; 

Whereas the United States’ deployment of the Terminal High 

Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would greatly 

improve the ROK’s missile defense capabilities and the 

ability of the United States-ROK-Japan cooperative efforts to deter North Korea’s threats and provocations; 

Whereas from June 20, 2016, through June 28, 2016, the 

United States Navy, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense 

Force, and the Republic of Korea Navy conducted their 

third biennial Pacific Dragon exercise, a trilateral event 

focusing on ballistic missile defense; 

Whereas the Report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea highlights that 

North Korea’s own citizens are starved of life’s basic necessities and basic human rights; 
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•HRES 634 EH 

Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has established a field-based 

structure for assessing continued North Korean human 

rights violations in Seoul, with the strong support of the 

Governments of the United States, ROK, and Japanese 

governments; and 

Whereas a strong United States-Republic of Korea-Japan trilateral relationship is a stabilizing force for peace and security in the region, with capabilities to combat future 

provocations from North Korea: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) strongly condemns North Korea’s nuclear tests, 

missile launches, and continued provocations; 

(2) reaffirms the importance of the United StatesRepublic of Korea (ROK)-Japan trilateral relationship to 

counter North Korea’s destabilizing activities and nuclear proliferation, and to bolster regional security; 

(3) supports joint military exercises and other efforts to strengthen cooperation, improve defense capabilities, and oppose regional threats like North Korea; 

(4) encourages the deployment and United StatesROK-Japan coordination of regional advanced ballistic 

missile defense systems against North Korea’s nuclear 

and missile threats and provocations; 

(5) calls for the expansion of information and intelligence sharing and sustained diplomatic cooperation between the United States, ROK, and Japan; and 
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•HRES 634 EH 

(6) underscores the importance of the trilateral relationship in tracking North Korea human rights violations and holding it accountable for its abuses against 

its citizens and the citizens of other countries. 

Attest: 

Clerk.