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미국, 북한에 인권상황 개선 촉구 |
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주한미국대사관 |
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정치외교연구센터 / 한반도와 미국 |
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참고자료 |
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정책보고서 |
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주한미국대사관 |
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2008/08/01 |
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Washington -- North Korea’s human rights conditions are “abysmal,” says Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill, and must be addressed if Pyongyang hopes to realize improved relations with the United States.
“Every day that the people of North Korea continue to suffer represents an unacceptable continuation of oppression,” Hill told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee July 31. “The North Koreans don't like to hear the term ‘human rights,’ but that does not mean that we shouldn't raise it.”
Hill called North Korea’s extensive network of gulag-style prison camps “a scar on the Korean Peninsula” and pledged that human rights issues would be “riveted” to the agenda of future U.S.-North Korean talks aimed at normalizing relations.
“The United States' dedication to improving the lives of the North Korean people will never wane and we will continue to seek all available opportunities to improve this heartbreaking situation,” Hill said.
“Human rights is not only a U.S. priority -- frankly, it's an international priority,” Hill added. “It is part of the standard of joining the international community.”
Hill also cited unresolved questions about North Korean abductions of Japanese and South Korean citizens in the late 1970s.
Hill’s testimony follows several weeks of progress -- including Pyongyang’s long-delayed inventory of past nuclear activities and demolition of the main cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear complex -- in international efforts through the Six-Party Talks to convince North Korea to begin disabling its nuclear program in exchange for humanitarian aid and security guarantees.
As talks now shift to verifying North Korea’s nuclear claims, Hill praised China’s leadership in the six-party process, which also includes representatives from Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States. “I believe it's had an important impact on China's emergence as a responsible stakeholder in the region,” he said.
North Korea also will be expected to answer questions about other elements of its nuclear past, Hill said, including a suspected uranium enrichment program similar to that of Iran, as well as Pyongyang’s cooperation with Syria and other countries seeking nuclear technologies.
Although much work remains ahead on eliminating nuclear programs from the Korean Peninsula, the United States is open to joining discussions on a Korean Peninsula peace regime once Pyongyang’s nuclear declaration can be verified, Hill said, and when the six-party process moves into its third and final phase: complete dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear infrastructure. (See "Six-Party Talks Setting Stage for New Diplomacy in Northeast Asia.")
Hill was joined by William Tobey, deputy administrator from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, which has had a team of American experts on the ground in North Korea since November 2007, when North Korea began disabling Yongbyon.
The dismantlement process has cost $35 million to date, says Tobey, and may cost an additional $400 million or more as North Korea begins packaging plutonium and spent fuel.
“Our dedicated staff of technical experts remains ready to provide whatever additional support may be required as the process moves forward.”
North Korea’s nuclear program and its human rights record are likely to figure prominently on President Bush’s agenda as he prepares to meet with leaders in China and South Korea during his August 5-10 trip to Asia.
The full text of testimony prepared for the hearing is available on the Senate Armed Services Committee Web site.
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seoul.usembassy.gov/nk_080108.html |
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※ 코리아연구원은 기획재정부에서 공익성기부금대상단체(2006-176호)로 선정되었으므로
연말정산 때 소득공제를 받으실 수 있습니다. |
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::: 코리아연구원 (KNSI : 새로운 코리아구상을 위한 연구원) :::
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