House condemns North Korean nuclear tests

The House of Representatives today officially condemned North Korea for its Feb. 12 nuclear test launch, passing a resolution even as reports surface that North Korea is upgrading one of its major missile launch sites for likely purposes of handling bigger rockets.

The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif, passed by 412-2 with overwhelming bipartisan support.

In debate on the House floor, Republicans and Democrats found a moment of rare agreement in their condemnation of the North Korean government.

• N. Korea upgrading missile site, research group says
• Kerry: Confronting N. Korea sends message to Iran

"This test, which is the third time that North Korea has exploded a nuclear device, is a stark reminder that Kim Jong Un is determined to develop his nuclear arsenal while depriving North Koreans of their most basic human rights," said Ed Royce. "This week's test comes only two months after the launch of a North Korean intercontinental missile, leaving no doubt in my mind that decades, decades of fruitless negotiations, frankly, have been a failure. North Korea is a pariah state."

Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor on the bill, called on China and Russia to "work instructively" with the U.N. Security Council to "show the world that the world is united in opposing North Korea's unacceptable behavior."

"I believe it's very important for the House to speak with a strong bipartisan voice in condemning North Korea's recent nuclear test," he said. "This test was an unnecessary provocation that raises tensions in Northeast Asia, imposes a threat to national security of the United States and our allies in the region. The test also violates numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions and I urge the Security Council to promptly pass a new resolution with additional sanctions to punish the North Korean regime."

A series of recent incidents out of the country - including a satellite launch in December and Tuesday's nuclear test - have caused growing concern about the state of North Korean nuclear capabilities.

Earlier this week, newly minted Secretary of State John Kerry said there must be a "swift, clear, strong and credible" international response to Pyongyang's third nuclear test, which defied U.N. Security Council resolutions.

[melpol12]

A peaceful N. Korea would cut the US arms industry in half and cause millions to lose their jobs. It is good news for our aircraft building families that Tiny Kim continues voicing his bogus threats.

[empirebuilder]

Official language/ terminology:
North Korea/ Iran/ Syria/ Al-Queda

Shame, shame..naughty

[ExtremeApathy]

Is this house vote going to lead to meaningful action? Or just a mimicry of the UN's response? The ultimate international farce and hypocrisy is the United Nations human rights council.

In 1948, The UN drafted a "Universal Declaration of Human Rights", and later, a "Universal Human Rights Law. These documents essentially "protect" human rights for everyone on this planet.

But, since shortly after 1948 (after the Korean War) and for 60 years, North Korea has severely violated the tenets of this document, and the UN has done nothing about it!

In North Korea, hundreds of thousands of Koreans are enslaved, even tortured and wantonly executed: Unjustly denied of their liberty and even their life. Children are born into slavery, with no dignity and no human rights, behind barbed wire.

Yet, North Korea was added to the United Nations in 1991! And to this day, the UN focuses on North Korea's developing nuclear capability, but seem to ignore its human rights atrocities. Bellicose madman Kim Jong-Un needs to be declared a Human Rights criminal and deposed by the International community. Do this not just for nuclear stability, but for the good of the North Korean people.