IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 309 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that North Korea 

should immediately stop any hostile rhetoric and activity towards the 

Republic of Korea and engage in mutual dialogue to enhance interKorean relations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 31, 2009 

Mr. KING of New York (for himself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. ROSLEHTINEN, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. 

GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. COURTNEY, and Ms. WATSON) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

North Korea should immediately stop any hostile rhetoric 

and activity towards the Republic of Korea and engage 

in mutual dialogue to enhance inter-Korean relations. 

Whereas North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and 

their suspected proliferation, are threatening peace and 

stability in Northeast Asia and beyond; 

Whereas the North Korean leadership continues to pursue its 

nuclear ambitions while up to 2,000,000 North Koreans 

reportedly starved to death during the late 1990s and 

hundreds of thousands fled North Korea in search of 

freedom and food; 


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•HRES 309 IH 

Whereas, on October 18, 2004, H.R. 4011, the North Korean 

Human Rights Act, became Public Law 108–333, bringing attention to the human rights conditions in North 

Korea and to provide United States support for North 

Korean refugees; 

Whereas, on October 9, 2006, North Korea detonated a nuclear explosive device prompting the United Nations Security Council to adopt military and economic sanctions 

against North Korea through Resolution 1718; 

Whereas, on June 30, 2008, H.R. 2642, the Supplemental 

Appropriations Act, became Public Law 110–252, granting the President the authority to waive the Glenn 

Amendment sanctions in order to facilitate North Korea’s 

denuclearization process and to provide heavy fuel oil energy assistance to North Korea in support of the SixParty Talks; 

Whereas, on October 7, 2008, the North Korean Human 

Rights Reauthorization Act became Public Law 110–346; 

Whereas, on October 11, 2008, North Korea was removed 

from the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism; 

Whereas, on October 15, 2008, the Naval Vessel Transfer 

Act became Public Law 110–429 and included provisions 

to upgrade the Republic of Korea’s foreign military sales 

status to that of ‘‘NATO plus three’’; 

Whereas, on January 30, 2009, North Korea announced that 

it would nullify all inter-Korean agreements that are in 

pursuit of putting an end to the state of political and 

military confrontations and abrogate the agreements on 

the Sea Demarcation Line, known as the ‘‘Northern 

Limit Line’’; 


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•HRES 309 IH 

Whereas, on February 3, 2009, President Barack Obama 

stated, in a call with the Republic of Korea’s President 

Lee Myung-bak, that recent events underscore the need 

for the United States and the Republic of Korea to work 

together even more closely to achieve complete and 

verifiable denuclearization of North Korea; 

Whereas, on February 10, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton stated that North Korea must understand that 

all of the countries in East Asia have made it clear that 

North Korea’s recent behavior is viewed as unacceptable; 

Whereas, on February 20, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton stated, in a joint press conference with the Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, that 

the United States and the Republic of Korea maintain a 

joint resolve to bring about the complete and verifiable 

denuclearization of North Korea through the Six-Party 

Talks and that North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the United States while insulting 

and refusing dialogue with the Republic of Korea; 

Whereas for more than a year, North Korea has refused proposals from the Republic of Korea for mutual dialogue 

and also has refused to fully implement the Six-Party 

agreements on denuclearization; 

Whereas North Korea is reportedly preparing for an intercontinental ballistic missile test; and 

Whereas in the face of serious security challenges on the Korean Peninsula, including the recent North Korean hostilities towards the Republic of Korea, the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea remains resilient and firm, based on shared values, mutual 

trust, and common interests: Now, therefore, be it 


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•HRES 309 IH 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) North Korea should immediately stop any 

4 hostile rhetoric and activity towards the Republic of 

5 Korea and engage in mutual dialogue to enhance 

6 inter-Korean relations; 

7 (2) North Korea should fully implement the 

8 Six-Party joint statement of September 19, 2005, 

9 verifiably abandon all of its nuclear weapons and ex10 isting nuclear programs, and return to the Non-Pro11 liferation Treaty (NPT) at an early date; 

12 (3) North Korea should comply with United 

13 Nations Security Council Resolution 1718; 

14 (4) the United States remains committed to the 

15 promotion of inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation; 

16 and 

17 (5) the strategic importance of the strong alli18 ance between the United States and the Republic of 

19 Korea, in promoting peace and prosperity on the Ko20 rean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, should be 

21 recognized. 

Æ 


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