Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement after final House passage of the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2061). The bill now heads to the president’s desk for enactment.

“Addressing the human rights nightmare in North Korea must be a top priority,” Chairman Royce said. “Even if Kim denuclearizes, the North will never see meaningful investment so long as regime gulags remain open and brazen killings continue. A lasting deal will require real improvements for the North Korean people. That’s why this bill updates critical programs to help North Koreans access basic news and information. I look forward to the president signing this measure, and hope it will prompt the Moon administration in the South to change course. Seoul’s recent efforts to silence North Korean human rights advocates are counterproductive and deeply disturbing.”

Note: H.R. 2061 originally passed the House in September 2017 by a vote of 415-0 and passed the Senate in April 2018 by unanimous consent.

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