Steel sponsors bipartisan bill requiring annual reports on North Korea activities

To counter and deter Kim Jong Un’s regime, U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) on Feb. 9 unveiled a bipartisan bill that would require the President of the United States to provide an annual report and briefings to Congress on North Korea. 

“These reports are vital as Congress shapes its response to North Korea’s continued aggression on the Korean Peninsula,” said Rep. Steel, who sponsored H.R. 958 with two original cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

If enacted, H.R. 958 would require each report to detail topics such as arms trafficking involving North Korea; operators of foreign seaports and airports that fail to inspect cargo to or from North Korea; and cooperation between North Korea and Iran, among other information, according to the text of the bill.

The topics are included in sections of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act and the Korean Interdiction and Modernization Sanctions Act, which bolster U.S. sanctions against North Korea’s Kim Jong Un regime.

However, several of the reporting requirements in both bills — including reports to Congress on North Korea arms trafficking, enhanced at-sea inspections, cybersecurity, North Korea-Iran cooperation, and international financial messaging — are set to expire or already have expired, according to information provided by Rep. Steel’s office.

“We must be completely clear on the danger posed by North Korea in order to properly respond with sanctions and other deterrents,” Rep. Steel said. “This bill reaffirms our commitment to addressing North Korea’s significant threat to the national security of the United States and our allies.”

H.R. 958 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this legislation so we can send a clear message to the Kim regime and the networks in the Chinese Communist Party, Iran, and Russia that enable their growing hostility,” added Rep. Steel.