By Kim Se-jeong
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek urged a swift endorsement of the North Korean Human Rights Act Friday, adding support to the ruling Grand National Party’s (GNP) advocacy of the bill.
“It is anticipated that the bill, if passed, will galvanize advocacy for human rights and raise awareness among the public. Indeed, it will lay the foundation for systematic humanitarian aid to North Korea and that will contribute to enhancing human rights in the North,” Hyun said during a meeting with GNP lawmakers.
The meeting was organized by the party to show their determination to get the bill passed before the National Assembly’s June extraordinary session closes.
“North Korean human rights have nothing to do with politics or ideology. I urge you to support a swift endorsement of the bill,” the minister continued.
The bill was initially proposed six years ago but has not reached the floor of the Assembly for a vote.
Hyun’s comment raised questions about whether the government’s approach to providing assistance to North Korea has changed.
The government, in the aftermath of the North’s two attacks on the South last year, has shown reluctance for unconditional humanitarian aid to the impoverished regime, and has kept quiet about the bill.
Officially, Seoul is demanding an apology from the North as a precondition for assistance.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is opposing the bill, arguing it would only hamper inter-Korean relations. The DP also claimed that passing the bill as it is would break a compromise reached previously between by the floor leaders of the GNP and the DP.
North Korea is one of the world’s most impoverished countries. Its domestic food supply is far from sufficient, and the regime is begging for food aid. However, the regime’s political orientation and poor human rights record is causing many countries and organizations to be reluctant to make donations.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam also called for the passage of the bill, citing similar bills in the United States and Japan.
“We’re behind the United States and Japan, and I really do hope the bill will get endorsed in June,” the minister said.
In 2004, the United States passed legislation to help North Korean defectors settle in the U.S. and promote democracy in the communist regime. Japan has passed a law on providing assistance to defectors and imposing sanctions on North Korea unless it makes progress in resolving a dispute over the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents.