I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5532 

To provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to North Korea’s 

support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 

Mr. CONNOLLY (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Ways and 

Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to 

North Korea’s support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Russia-North Korea 

5 Cooperation Sanctions Act’’. 

6 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) On February 24, 2022, the Government of 

2 the Russian Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, 

3 launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of 

4 Ukraine. 

5 (2) On September 13, 2023, the Supreme 

6 Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of 

7 Korea (North Korea), Kim Jong Un, met with Rus8 sian Federation President Vladimir Putin to discuss 

9 the transfer or sale of conventional arms to Russia 

10 to be used in invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign terri11 tory in exchange for economic assistance and sup12 port for North Korea’s space, nuclear, and missile 

13 programs. 

14 (3) Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia will be his 

15 first known travel outside North Korea since the 

16 Covid–19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown of 

17 North Korea in early 2020. 

18 (4) North Korea maintains an arsenal of artil19 lery shells, rockets, and other conventional military 

20 equipment that it may provide to Russia. 

21 (5) If Russia or Russian State-backed entities 

22 are acquiring arms and related materiel from North 

23 Korea, such actions would violate United Nations 

24 Security Council resolutions, which were supported 


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1 by Russia to prohibit North Korea from exporting 

2 such items. 

3 (6) On August 16, 2023, the Department of the 

4 Treasury imposed sanctions on three entities tied to 

5 a sanctions evasion network attempting to support 

6 arms deals between Russia and North Korea. 

7 SEC. 5. SANCTIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc9 tions described in subsection (b) with respect to the fol10 lowing: 

11 (1) Any foreign person that is responsible for or 

12 facilitates the transfer or sale of arms or material 

13 support from North Korea to be used in Russia’s il14 legal war in Ukraine. 

15 (2) Any foreign person that knowingly, directly 

16 or indirectly, imports, exports, or reexports to, into, 

17 or from North Korea any goods services or tech18 nology for weapons that may be used by Russian 

19 forces or their proxies in Russia’s illegal war in 

20 Ukraine. 

21 (3) Any foreign financial institution that know22 ingly facilitates a significant transaction or provides 

23 significant financial services for a foreign person de24 scribed in paragraph (1) or (2). 


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1 (4) Any foreign person that engages in a sig2 nificant transaction related to the transfer or sale of 

3 arms or material support with a foreign person de4 scribed in paragraph (1) or (2) or foreign financial 

5 institution described in paragraph (3). 

6 (5) Any foreign person assisting in the logistical 

7 supply and movement of North Korean arms or ma8 terial support to be used in Russia’s illegal war in 

9 Ukraine. 

10 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de11 scribed in this subsection are the following: 

12 (1) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—Notwith13 standing the requirements of section 202 of the 

14 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

15 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all pow16 ers granted to the President by that Act to the ex17 tent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions 

18 in all property and interests in property of the for19 eign person if such property and interests in prop20 erty are in the United States, come within the 

21 United States, or are or come within the possession 

22 or control of a United States person. 

23 (2) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Sec25 retary of State or the Secretary of Homeland 


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1 Security (or a designee of one of such Secre2 taries) knows, or has reason to believe, is de3 scribed in subsection (a) is— 

4 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

5 (ii) ineligible for a visa or other docu6 mentation to enter the United States; and 

7 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

8 or paroled into the United States or to re9 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra10 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

11 seq.). 

12 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

13 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con14 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

15 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des16 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 

17 accordance with section 221(i) of the Im18 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

19 1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry 

20 documentation issued to an alien described 

21 in subparagraph (A) regardless of when 

22 the visa or other entry documentation is 

23 issued. 

24 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev25 ocation under clause (i)— 


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1 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

2 and 

3 (II) shall automatically cancel 

4 any other valid visa or entry docu5 mentation that is in the alien’s pos6 session. 

7 (c) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

8 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex9 ercise all authorities provided to the President under 

10 sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer11 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 

12 1704) to carry out this section. 

13 (2) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 

14 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter15 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

16 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 

17 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

18 violation of regulations promulgated to carry out 

19 this section to the same extent that such penalties 

20 apply to a person that commits an unlawful act de21 scribed in section 206(a) of that Act. 

22 (d) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica23 tion of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign person 

24 or foreign financial institution under this section if the 

25 President certifies to the appropriate congressional comVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5532.IH H5532

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1 mittees not later than 15 days before such waiver is to 

2 take effect that the waiver is vital to the national security 

3 interests of the United States. 

4 (e) EXCEPTION FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.— 

5 An internationally recognized humanitarian organization 

6 shall not be subject to sanctions under this section with 

7 respect to— 

8 (1) engaging in a financial transaction relating 

9 to humanitarian assistance or for humanitarian pur10 poses pursuant to a waiver issued under subsection 

11 (d); 

12 (2) transporting goods or services that are nec13 essary to carry out operations relating to humani14 tarian assistance or humanitarian purposes pursuant 

15 to such a waiver issued under subsection (d); or 

16 (3) having merely incidental contact, in the 

17 course of providing humanitarian assistance or aid 

18 for humanitarian purposes pursuant to a waiver 

19 issued under subsection (d) with individuals who are 

20 under the control of a foreign person subject to 

21 sanctions under this section. 

22 SEC. 6. EXPANSION OF NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS AND 

23 POLICY ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2016. 

24 The North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement 

25 Act of 2016 is amended as follows: 


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1 (1) In section 401(a) (22 U.S.C. 9251(a))— 

2 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

3 the end; 

4 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe5 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(7) halting material support (as such term is 

8 defined in section 6 of the Stopping the Transfer of 

9 Pyongyang’s Proliferation to Enhance Russia Act) 

10 for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.’’. 

11 (2) In section 402(2) (22 U.S.C. 9252(2))— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

13 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (E)(ii), by striking 

15 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

16 and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(F) halting material support (as such 

19 term is defined in section 6 of the Stopping the 

20 Transfer of Pyongyang’s Proliferation to En21 hance Russia Act) for Russia’s illegal war in 

22 Ukraine.’’. 

23 SEC. 7. REPORT. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days 


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1 thereafter, the President shall submit to the appropriate 

2 congressional committees a report that describes signifi3 cant activities by the Democratic People’s Republic of 

4 Korea to support the Russian Federation and its proxies 

5 in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. 

6 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re7 quired by this section shall include the following: 

8 (1) The identity and nationality of foreign per9 sons and foreign financial institutions that are sub10 ject to sanctions under section 3. 

11 (2) A description of the conduct engaged in by 

12 such persons and institutions. 

13 (3) An assessment of the extent to which a for14 eign government has provided material support to 

15 the Government of North Korea or any person act16 ing for or on behalf of that Government to conduct 

17 significant activities to materially support Russia’s 

18 illegal war in Ukraine. 

19 (4) A United States strategy to counter North 

20 Korea’s efforts to conduct significant activities to 

21 support Russia’s war in Ukraine, that includes ef22 forts to engage foreign governments to halt the ca23 pability of the Government of North Korea and per24 sons acting for or on behalf of that Government to 


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1 conduct significant activities supporting Russia’s il2 legal war in Ukraine. 

3 (c) FORM.—The report required by this section shall 

4 be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a clas5 sified annex. 

6 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT9 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com10 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

11 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

12 Foreign Relations of the Senate. 

13 (2) FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The 

14 term ‘‘foreign financial institution’’— 

15 (A) has the meaning given that term in 

16 section 1010.605 of title 31, Code of Federal 

17 Regulations; and 

18 (B) includes a foreign central bank. 

19 (3) MATERIAL SUPPORT.—The term ‘‘material 

20 support’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘material 

21 support or resources’’ in section 2339A of title 18, 

22 United States Code. 

Æ 


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