June 5, 2011

• This is from a statement by the U.S. Dept. of State about the U.S.' committment to human rights in Norkor.  It was super long, so I cut the two most interesting paragraghs out and posted them here.  I have to wonder how much the U.S. is accomplishing

  Implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act
  Testimony

  Robert R. King
  Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues 

  Statement Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
  

  Washington, DC
  

  June 2, 2011

  Since 2004, the United States has resettled 120 North Korean refugees and their families [that's it!?]. We remain actively committed to ensuring that each North Korean refugee who is interested and eligible gains access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. We continue to coordinate closely with host governments in the region to pursue every possible viable avenue to facilitate the admission of refugees from North Korea. For many individuals from North Korea, where to resettle is one of the first meaningful choices they are able to make, and the United States respects their decision on resettlement.

  The United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of North Korean refugees and asylum seekers. Reports of the involuntary return of North Koreans from China to the DPRK, including victims of human trafficking, remain deeply disturbing, as these returnees often face serious consequences, including the possibility of imprisonment, torture, and even execution. We continue to urge China to adhere to its obligations as a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, including by not expelling or forcibly returning North Koreans who should be protected under those treaties. The United States is further troubled by the lack of access afforded to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to North Koreans, particularly in Northeast China, and we continue to urge the Chinese to cooperate with UNHCR in exercising its functions, including allowing access to North Korean asylum seekers. We regularly engage with other governments, NGOs and private groups who share our concerns.

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