Sec. 1243. Sense of Congress on the military developments on the Korean peninsula
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/bill/113/hr/1960/eh/section-1243·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) has escalated regional tensions with hostile rhetoric and provocative actions. North Korea threatened a nuclear attack on the United States and a resumption of open war against the Republic of Korea ( South Korea ). North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to the national security of the United States and to regional stability. On April 14, 2009, North Korea halted negotiations regarding its nuclear weapons program when it abandoned the Six-Party Talks with the People’s Republic of China ( China ), Japan, the Russian Federation ( Russia ), South Korea, and the United States.
On May 25, 2009, North Korea detonated a nuclear device in an underground explosive test. On March 26, 2010, North Korea sank a South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan, killing 46 South Korean sailors. On November 23, 2010, North Korea shelled the border island of Yeonpyeong-do, killing four people. This was the first direct artillery attack on South Korean territory since the signing of the 1953 armistice. On April 13, 2012, North Korea conducted a rocket launch that failed to send a satellite into orbit.
This launch violated United Nations Security Council
(UNSC)Resolutions 1718 and 1874. On December 12, 2012, North Korea used banned long-range missile technology to launch an earth observation satellite into orbit. In response, the UNSC unanimously adopted Resolution 2087, condemning the launch. On February 12, 2013, North Korea conducted a third underground nuclear test in violation of UNSC Resolution 1718, 1874, and 2087. The test also contravened North Korea’s commitments under the September 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. On March 7, 2013, the UNSC unanimously adopted Resolution 2094, condemning North Korea’s third nuclear test and imposed additional sanctions against the regime. On March 28, 2013, North Korea unilaterally nullified the armistice agreement with the United States that suspended military conflict on the Korean peninsula. On March 30, 2013, North Korea declared a state of war with South Korea. On April 4, 2013, North Korea placed two intermediate-range Musudan missiles on mobile launchers and temporarily relocated them to the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula before removing them a month later from the launch sites. It is the sense of Congress that— the United States and its allies, South Korea and Japan, share the goal of a stable and peaceful Korean Peninsula, free of nuclear weapons; the United States remains committed to defending its allies in the Asia-Pacific region and stability in Northeast Asia requires restraint by all parties from activities that would complicate international relations or escalate international tensions, and international disputes should be mitigated in a constructive manner consistent with established principles of international law; Congress supports— the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner, North Korea’s abandonment of its nuclear programs and return to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; and North Korea’s full acceptance of and compliance with the terms of the 1953 Armistice Agreement; the United States has national interests in security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the implementation of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, the promotion of respect for the fundamental human rights of the North Korean people, international cyber-security cooperation, and full implementation of United States and multilateral sanctions against illicit activities; the United States encourages China and Russia to fully implement and enforce United States and United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea; and the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense should keep Congress fully informed on security developments on the Korean Peninsula.