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considered reactionary by the Korean Workers Party, and
holding prohibited religious beliefs;
Whereas at least 1,000,000 North Koreans are estimated to
have died of starvation since 1995 because of the failure
of the centralized agricultural system operated by the
Government of North Korea;
Whereas the combination of political, social, and religious
persecution and the risk of starvation in North Korea is
causing many North Koreans to flee to China;
Whereas between 100,000 and 300,000 North Korean refu-
gees are estimated to be residing in China without the
permission of the Government of China;
Whereas the Governments of China and North Korea have
begun aggressive campaigns to locate North Koreans who
are in China without permission and to forcibly return
them to North Korea;
Whereas North Koreans who seek asylum in China are rou-
tinely imprisoned and tortured, and in some cases killed,
after they are returned to North Korea;
Whereas the United Nations Convention relating to the Sta-
tus of Refugees of 1951, as modified by the Protocol re-
lating to the Status of Refugees of 1967, defines a ref-
ugee as a person who, ‘‘owing to well-founded fear of
being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group or political opin-
ion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable
or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the
protection of that country’’;
Whereas despite China’s obligations as a party to the United
Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of
1951 and the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
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of 1967, China routinely classifies North Koreans seeking
asylum in China as mere ‘‘economic migrants’’ and re-
turns the refugees to North Korea without regard to the
serious threat of persecution faced by the refugees after
their return;
Whereas the Government of China does not provide North
Koreans whose asylum requests are rejected a right to
have the rejection reviewed prior to deportation despite
the recommendations of the United Nations Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 and the Pro-
tocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 1967 that such
a right be granted; and
Whereas the Government of China recently permitted the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to re-
settle 7 North Korean refugees in South Korea: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress—
(1) encourages the Government of China to
honor its obligations under the United Nations Con-
vention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951,
as modified by the Protocol relating to the Status of
Refugees of 1967, by—
(A) making genuine efforts to identify and
protect the refugees among the North Korean
migrants encountered by Chinese authorities,
including providing the refugees with a reason-
ably opportunity to request asylum;
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(B) providing North Korean refugees re-
siding in China with a safe asylum;
(C) halting the forced repatriations of
North Korean refugees seeking asylum in
China;
(D) allowing the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees to have access to all
North Korean refugees residing in China; and
(E) cooperating with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees in efforts to
resettle the North Korean refugees residing in
China in other countries; and
(2) encourages the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Refugees to facilitate the resettlement
of the North Korean refugees residing in China in
other countries.
Æ