U.S. Relations with the People's Republic of China (2005)

North Korea Must Live Up to Its U.N. Commitments on Human Rights

Pyongyang's legitimacy depends on upholding human rights, U.S. envoy Lefkowitz says

Following is the text of Lefkowitz's speech, as prepared for delivery:

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United States Embassy
Seoul, Republic of Korea

"Meeting the Challenge of North Korean Human Rights"
Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Jay Lefkowitz
Freedom House Conference
Seoul, South Korea, December 9, 2005

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Many nations, including the United States, are concerned with the material well being of the North Korean people in addition to their lack of liberty. We wish to help alleviate their suffering, which has been enormous since the onset of famine in the 1990s. America is a generous nation, and since 1995, we have provided more than two million tons of humanitarian food assistance to the people of North Korea. South Korea, Japan and China are among other nations that also provide assistance. While we seek nothing in return for this assistance, we know that North Korea has diverted some of this aid to serve other purposes and further tighten its grip on the people of North Korea. Only if the nations that provide assistance insist that aid verifiably reach those in need can we be sure that our activities have a positive effect on the helpless and do not further enable their captors.

Immediate action is also needed to protect North Korean refugees. Tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of desperate, helpless and vulnerable North Koreans have fled to China and beyond since the mid-1990s. Some of these refugees have made it to freedom here in South Korea, but all too many others have not. They live in fear of being returned to the land they fled, where they face the likelihood of severe punishment. Nations where North Korean refugees are present have a clear moral obligation to protect them. China, where most of these refugees are located, has ratified an international agreement on refugees that requires it to do this -- the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. China should grant the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees access to North Koreans who seek asylum in China and refrain from deporting asylum seekers against their will. We seek to work with all nations that have North Korean refugees on their soil to ensure and support their protection and resettlement.

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