For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose stiff sanctions on North Korea in the wake of the country’s Oct. 9 nuclear bomb test.  The move is a first step in addressing the threat a nuclear North Korea poses not only to Northeast Asia but to the entire global community.

 

North Korea’s test made it only the eighth – and most unstable – nation to detonate a nuclear weapon, and its significance cannot be isolated from other global threats.  The communist nation has a history of selling weaponry to the highest bidder, and in this age of global terrorism the world cannot risk the chance of even one nuclear weapon falling into the wrong hands.

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has proven himself to be a dictator more interested in antagonizing the United States than in the well being of the North Korean people.  On July 4 he successfully tested short- and medium-range missiles which intensified the immediate threat to the region.  Tests of a long-range missile failed, but demonstrate Kim’s intent to develop weapons capable of reaching the United States.

 

The U.N. resolution prohibits North Korea from importing or exporting materials linked to its weapons program.  But the resolution is only as strong as the commitment of the nation’s charged with enforcing it.  North Korea’s neighbors – China, Russia and South Korea – will be instrumental in ensuring the success of the U.N. action.  But despite having supported the resolution at the United Nations, there are indications that some might not be committed to the task. 

 

China – itself a communist nation and one of North Korea’s only allies – has indicated it will not enforce a critical provision in the resolution, which calls for the inspection of goods entering or leaving North Korea.  China’s cooperation is necessary for the U.N. action to succeed, as most of North Korea’s trade crosses the 880-mile border the two countries share.  As the region’s economic and military power, China very well may be the only nation with the leverage to produce results from North Korea.  The most immediate challenge facing the United States is compelling China’s cooperation.

 

As this situation develops in the days, weeks and months ahead it will test U.S. relations with allies across the globe, relationships that have been under considerable strain since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.  Just as important will be the test of our relationship with China.  I am optimistic about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the region later this week to rally support behind the resolution, but it must be made clear to China that any reluctance to support this international effort could jeopardize future relations with the United States.

 

Too much is at stake for Congress to once again defer to the administration on foreign policy and global security.  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which has oversight of international arms control and disarmament, I believe Congress must provide oversight and guidance as the administration moves forward in addressing the North Korean threat.

 

The Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5122), passed by the House on Sept. 29 and awaiting the President’s signature, requires President Bush to appoint a North Korea Policy Coordinator to conduct a review of policy toward North Korea and make recommendations to the President and Congress.  It also requires that the administration submit a report to Congress every six months on the status of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

 

A nuclear North Korea destabilizes the region and increases the chances of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorist groups.  The world has an interest in addressing the situation before it escalates.

 

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Rep. Dan Boren (D-Muskogee) represents Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District.