Sec. 3. Sense of Congress

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It is the sense of Congress that— promoting information access in North Korea continues to be a successful method of countering North Korean propaganda; the United States Government should continue to support efforts described in paragraph (1), including by enacting and implementing the Otto Warmbier North Korean Censorship and Surveillance Act of 2021 , which was introduced by Senator Portman on June 17, 2021; because refugees among North Koreans fleeing into China face severe punishments upon their forcible return, the United States should urge the Government of the People’s Republic of China— to immediately halt its forcible repatriation of North Koreans; to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to in this section as UNHCR ) unimpeded access to North Koreans within China to determine whether they are refugees and require assistance; to fulfill its obligations under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at Geneva July 28, 1951 (and made applicable by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at New York January 31, 1967 (19 UST 6223)) and the Agreement on the upgrading of the UNHCR Mission in the People’s Republic of China to UNHCR branch office in the People’s Republic of China, done at Geneva December 1, 1995; to address the concerns of the United Nations Committee Against Torture by incorporating into domestic legislation the principle of non-refoulement; and to recognize the legal status of North Korean women who marry or have children with Chinese citizens and ensure that all such mothers and children are granted resident status and access to education and other public services in accordance with Chinese law and international standards; the United States Government should continue to promote the effective and transparent delivery and distribution of any humanitarian aid provided in North Korea to ensure that such aid reaches its intended recipients to the point of consumption or utilization by cooperating closely with the Government of the Republic of Korea and international and nongovernmental organizations; the Department of State should continue to take steps to increase public awareness about the risks and dangers of travel by United States citizens to North Korea, including by continuing its policy of blocking United States passports from being used to travel to North Korea without a special validation from the Department of State; the United Nations, which has a significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in North Korea, should press for access for the United Nations Special Rapporteur and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in North Korea; the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues should be appointed without delay— to properly promote and coordinate North Korean human rights and humanitarian issues; and to participate in policy planning and implementation with respect to refugee issues; the United States should urge North Korea to repeal the Reactionary Thought and Culture Denunciation Law and other draconian laws, regulations, and decrees that manifestly violate the freedom of opinion and expression and the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; the United States should urge North Korea to ensure that any restrictions on addressing the COVID–19 pandemic are necessary, proportionate, nondiscriminatory, time-bound, transparent, and allow international staff to operate inside the North Korea to provide international assistance based on independent needs assessments; the United States should expand the Rewards for Justice program to be open to North Korean officials who can provide evidence of crimes against humanity being committed by North Korean officials; the United States should continue to seek cooperation from all foreign governments— to allow the UNHCR access to process North Korean refugees overseas for resettlement; and to allow United States officials access to process refugees for possible resettlement in the United States; and the Secretary of State, through diplomacy by senior officials, including United States ambassadors to Asia-Pacific countries, and in close cooperation with South Korea, should make every effort to promote the protection of North Korean refugees, escapees, and defectors.