IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2061 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act of 

2004, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘North Korean Human 

3 Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The North Korean Human Rights Act of 

7 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.), the North Korean 

8 Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public 

9 Law 110–346), and the Ambassador James R. 

10 Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North 

11 Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012 

12 (Public Law 112–172) were the products of broad, 

13 bipartisan consensus regarding the promotion of 

14 human rights, transparency in the delivery of hu15 manitarian assistance, and the importance of refugee 

16 protection. 

17 (2) Fundamental human rights and humani18 tarian conditions inside North Korea remain deplor19 able, North Korean refugees remain acutely vulner20 able, and the congressional findings included in the 

21 Acts listed in paragraph (1) remain substantially ac22 curate today. 

23 (3) The United States, which has the largest 

24 international refugee resettlement program in the 

25 world, has resettled 212 North Koreans since the enVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Sep 27, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2061.RFS H2061

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1 actment of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 

2 2004. 

3 (4) In addition to the longstanding commitment 

4 of the United States to refugee and human rights 

5 advocacy, the United States is home to the largest 

6 Korean population outside of northeast Asia, and 

7 many people in the Korean-American community 

8 have family ties to North Korea. 

9 (5) Notwithstanding high-level advocacy by the 

10 United States, South Korea, and the United Nations 

11 High Commissioner for Refugees, China has forcibly 

12 repatriated tens of thousands of North Koreans. 

13 (6) Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega 

14 served 25 years in the House of Representatives, in15 cluding as the Chairman and the Ranking Member 

16 of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and 

17 the Pacific, was a leader in strengthening the rela18 tionship between the American and Korean peoples, 

19 authored multiple resolutions regarding issues on the 

20 Korean Peninsula, was a champion of human rights, 

21 and stated, in support of the Ambassador James R. 

22 Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North 

23 Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012, 

24 that ‘‘just as Ambassador Lilley and Congressman 

25 Solarz worked hard to protect the human rights of 


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1 the North Korean people, we must remain vigilant 

2 in helping the people of North Korea who struggle 

3 daily to escape the oppression and tyranny of the 

4 North Korean regime’’. 

5 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) the United States should continue to seek 

8 cooperation from all foreign governments to allow 

9 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

10 access to process North Korean refugees overseas 

11 for resettlement and to allow United States officials 

12 access to process refugees for resettlement in the 

13 United States (if that is the destination country of 

14 the refugees’ choosing); 

15 (2) the Secretary of State, through persistent 

16 diplomacy by senior officials, including United 

17 States ambassadors to Asia-Pacific countries, and in 

18 close cooperation with United States ally South 

19 Korea, should make every effort to promote the pro20 tection of North Korean refugees and defectors; and 

21 (3) because North Koreans fleeing into China 

22 face a well-founded fear of persecution upon their 

23 forcible repatriation, the United States should urge 

24 China to— 


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1 (A) immediately halt the forcible repatri2 ation of North Koreans; 

3 (B) allow the United Nations High Com4 missioner for Refugees unimpeded access to 

5 North Koreans inside China to determine 

6 whether such North Koreans require protection 

7 as refugees; and 

8 (C) fulfill its obligations under the 1951 

9 United Nations Convention Relating to the Sta10 tus of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol Relating to 

11 the Status of Refugees, and the Agreement on 

12 the Upgrading of the UNHCR Mission in the 

13 People’s Republic of China to UNHCR Branch 

14 Office in the People’s Republic of China (signed 

15 December 1, 1995). 

16 (b) CONTINUING SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It remains 

17 the sense of Congress, as specified in section 3(3) of the 

18 North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008 

19 (Public Law 110–346; 22 U.S.C. 7801 note), that ‘‘the 

20 Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues 

21 should be a full-time position within the Department of 

22 State in order to properly promote and coordinate North 

23 Korean human rights and humanitarian issues, and to 

24 participate in policy planning and implementation with re25 spect to refugee issues, as intended by the North Korean 


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1 Human Rights Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–333; 22 

2 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.)’’. 

3 SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NORTH KOREAN 

4 HUMAN RIGHTS ACT OF 2004. 

5 (a) HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS.— 

6 Paragraph (1) of section 102(b) of the North Korean 

7 Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7812(b)) is amend8 ed by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2022’’. 

9 (b) PROMOTING FREEDOM OF INFORMATION.—Sec10 tion 104 of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 

11 (22 U.S.C. 7814) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘$2,000,000’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘$3,000,000’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘2022’’; and 

17 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2017’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘2022’’. 

19 (c) REPORT BY SPECIAL ENVOY ON NORTH KOREAN

20 HUMAN RIGHTS.—Subsection (d) of section 107 of the 

21 North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 

22 7817) is amended by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘2022’’. 

24 (d) REPORT ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sec25 tion 201 of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 


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1 (22 U.S.C. 7831) is amended in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2022’’. 

3 (e) ASSISTANCE PROVIDED OUTSIDE OF NORTH

4 KOREA.—Paragraph (1) of section 203(c) of the North 

5 Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7833(c)) 

6 is amended by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2022’’. 

7 (f) ANNUAL REPORTING.—Section 305 of the North 

8 Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7845) is 

9 amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by strik10 ing ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2022’’. 

11 SEC. 5. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 

12 AND DEMOCRACY IN NORTH KOREA. 

13 The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, as 

14 amended by this Act, is further amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a) of section 103 (22 U.S.C. 

16 7813)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘radio broadcasting’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘broadcasting, including news re19 broadcasting,’’; and 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘increase broadcasts’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘increase such broadcasts, including 

22 news rebroadcasts,’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (a) of section 104 (22 U.S.C. 

24 7814)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President’’; 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘, USB drives, micro SD 

5 cards, audio players, video players, cell phones, 

6 wi-fi, wireless internet, webpages, internet, wire7 less telecommunications, and other electronic 

8 media that share information’’ before the period 

9 at the end; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

11 paragraphs: 

12 ‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION.—In accordance with the 

13 sense of Congress described in section 103, the 

14 President, acting through the Secretary of State, is 

15 authorized to distribute or provide grants to dis16 tribute information receiving devices, electronically 

17 readable devices, and other informational sources 

18 into North Korea, including devices and informa19 tional sources specified in paragraph (1). To carry 

20 out this paragraph, the President is authorized to 

21 issue directions to facilitate the free-flow of informa22 tion into North Korea. 

23 ‘‘(3) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANT

24 PROGRAM.—In accordance with the authorization de25 scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) to increase the 


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1 availability and distribution of sources of informa2 tion inside North Korea, the President, acting 

3 through the Secretary of State, is authorized to es4 tablish a grant program to make grants to eligible 

5 entities to develop or distribute (or both) new prod6 ucts or methods to allow North Koreans easier ac7 cess to outside information. Such program may in8 volve public-private partnerships. 

9 ‘‘(4) CULTURE.—In accordance with the sense 

10 of Congress described in section 103, the Broad11 casting Board of Governors may broadcast Amer12 ican, Korean, and other popular music, television, 

13 movies, and popular cultural references as part of its 

14 programming. 

15 ‘‘(5) RIGHTS AND LAWS.—In accordance with 

16 the sense of Congress described in section 103, the 

17 Broadcasting Board of Governors shall broadcast to 

18 North Korea in the Korean language information on 

19 rights, laws, and freedoms afforded through the 

20 North Korean Constitution, the Universal Declara21 tion of Human Rights, the United Nations Commis22 sion of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic 

23 People’s Republic of Korea, and any other applicable 

24 treaties or international agreements to which North 

25 Korea is bound. 


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1 ‘‘(6) BROADCASTING REPORT.—Not later 

2 than— 

3 ‘‘(A) 180 days after the date of the enact4 ment of this paragraph, the Secretary of State, 

5 in consultation with the Broadcasting Board of 

6 Governors, shall submit to the appropriate con7 gressional committees a report that sets forth a 

8 detailed plan for improving broadcasting con9 tent for the purpose of reaching additional au10 diences and increasing consumption of uncen11 sored news and information using all available 

12 and reasonable means; and 

13 ‘‘(B) 1 year after the date of the enact14 ment of this paragraph and annually thereafter 

15 for each of the next 5 years, the Secretary of 

16 State, in consultation with the Broadcasting 

17 Board of Governors, shall submit to the appro18 priate congressional committees a report on the 

19 effectiveness of actions taken pursuant to this 

20 section, including data reflecting audience and 

21 listenership, device distribution and usage, tech22 nological development and advancement usage, 

23 and other information as requested by such 

24 committees.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. REPEAL OF DUPLICATE AUTHORIZATIONS. 

2 Section 403 of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy 

3 Enhancement Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–122; 22 

4 U.S.C. 9253) is hereby repealed. 

5 SEC. 7. REPORT BY THE BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOV6 ERNORS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Broadcasting Board 

9 of Governors shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

10 committees a report that— 

11 (1) describes the status of current United 

12 States broadcasting to North Korea and the extent 

13 to which the Board has achieved the goal of 12- 

14 hour-per-day broadcasting to North Korea, in ac15 cordance with section 103(a) of the North Korean 

16 Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7813(a)); 

17 and 

18 (2) includes a strategy to overcome obstacles to 

19 such communication with the North Korean people, 

20 including through unrestricted, unmonitored, and in21 expensive electronic means. 

22 (b) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

23 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

24 a classified annex. 


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1 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

2 In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

5 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep6 resentatives; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

8 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

9 SEC. 8. REPORT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

12 in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 

13 departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate 

14 congressional committees a report that includes a descrip15 tion of any ongoing or planned efforts of the Department 

16 of State with respect to each of the following: 

17 (1) Resuming the repatriation from North 

18 Korea of members of the United States Armed 

19 Forces missing or unaccounted for during the Ko20 rean War. 

21 (2) Reuniting Korean Americans with their rel22 atives in North Korea. 

23 (3) Assessing the security risks posed by travel 

24 to North Korea for United States citizens. 


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1 (b) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

2 shall be submitted in unclassified form. 

3 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

4 In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means— 

6 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

7 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep8 resentatives; and 

9 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

10 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 

2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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