Washington, DC — Today, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (CA-40) and Ranking Member Ami Bera (CA-06) introduced the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2025.
This bill would reauthorize and update the North Korean Human Rights Act, which became law in 2004 to promote human rights and information access in North Korea.
“Kim Jong Un knows nothing but power and is hellbent on lining his own pockets and expanding his nuclear arsenal, even at the expense of his own people. The North Korean people face torture, imprisonment, starvation, and forced labor every single day. These gross human rights abuses cannot be tolerated,” said Congresswoman Kim. “Supporting the human rights of freedom-loving people trapped under authoritarian regimes is personal to me as a Korean American and Chairwoman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. I’m proud to lead the bipartisan North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act, which is imperative for the United States to take action to deter Kim Jong Un.”
“North Korea’s oppressive regime continues to commit heinous human rights abuses against its own people, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, torture, and severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief,” said Representative Ami Bera, M.D. “I’m proud to join Chairwoman Kim in introducing this bipartisan legislation to reaffirm America’s commitment to promoting human rights, expanding access to independent information, supporting international efforts to protect North Korean defectors, and holding the Kim regime accountable for its ongoing abuses.”
Included in the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act are initiatives Rep. Kim has worked on such as:
- Encouraging reunifications between Korean American divided families with their war-torn loved ones;
- Requiring the East Asia and Pacific Assistant Secretary to provide an annual report on activities to coordinate and promote human rights for the next five years;
- Ensuring that the position of the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, who coordinates the U.S. government’s policy on North Korean human rights is filled in a timely manner; and
- Promoting freedom of information in North Korea to counter propaganda and censorship.
Read the bill HERE.
