U.S. Almost Finished Invesgating NK Illegal Capital in China

[imText1]Last week Assemblyman Park Jin, who came back from the Korea-U.S.-Japan Assemblyman Seminar held in Washington DC, said that, “The U.S. is in the final stages of investigation into North Korea’s capital related illegal acts at Chinese banks”.

During an interview with the DailyNK on the 9th, Assemblyman Park, who came back from meetings with high-ranking officials at the State Department and the National Security Council in Washington said that, “The investigation is finished, but the U.S. is not revealing the results, considering its relationship with China. However, it seems that the economic sanctions on North Korea will be expanded.”

He also said that, “The U.S. thinks that it will be difficult to continue the six-party talks. At the same time, the U.S. is actively pursuing policies to pressure the North into participation by elevating North Korean human rights issues and implementing economic sanctions”.

– Did U.S. officials mention economic sanctions against North Korea?

It seems that the economic sanctions against North Korea will be extended. The Department of the Treasury and the BDA are building a database of North Korea’s purchase statements. The statements show that North Korea has often purchased luxury commodities, and the U.S. is hoping to find purchase statements of North Korean leaders.

Plus, as far as I know, the U.S. is monitoring foreign bank accounts in Austria, Switzerland, France, and Russia looking for illegal North Korean actions. The U.S. has almost completed the investigation into North Korean capital deposited in banks in China, but is not revealing the results in consideration of its relationship with China.

– Did you detect any changes in the Bush Administration’s policies for resolving the nuclear weapons issue through the six-party talks?

Because the U.S. considers the nuclear issue of Iran and Iraq a more serious problem, the North Korean nuclear issue has been set aside. The U.S. is skeptical about the advance of the six-party talks, yet is still waiting for North Korea to re-join. However, regarding the advance of the six-party talks, exhaustion is evident on the faces of the government officials.

In reference to the fact that North Korea has not complied with the 9.19 Joint Statement adopted last year, high-ranking U.S. administration officials have begun calling the North Korean regime, the “Mafia Family”.

– Congress is preparing a bill that imposes trade sanctions against China in order to stop defectors from being repatriating to North Korea. What is the general opinion of Congress on this bill?

It is difficult to tell now because the bill is supposed to pressure a radical change in Chinese policy through trade sanctions. We will just have to keep track of public opinion within the U.S., and the relations between the U.S. and China. The U.S. should implement policies toward China in response to the defector issue, but at the same time, the U.S. must take into consideration U.S.-China relations.

Congress and North Korea human rights organizations are preparing for the ‘Scoop Jackson National Security and Freedom Act of 2005’. The draft bill contains the provision that if China repatriates defectors to North Korea, the U.S. will decrease the amount of trade with China to 2003 levels in the first year, to 2000 levels the next year, and to 1997 levels the year after that.

– Do you think the Act will be passed?

If the bill is submitted, after deliberations by the subcommittee, it will be presented to the House and the Senate. With support from Congress, the bill will be passed. However, it is too difficult to predict the outcome at this point in time.

– There are some indications of U.S. policy changes…

Recently, President Bush has begun highlighting the stories of defectors Kim Han Mi and her family. The U.S. has a comprehensible network for advocating North Koreans human rights and aid for defectors. The North Korean defector policy is gaining bipartisan support, and at the same time, the activities of NK human rights special envoy Jay Lefkowitz and other activists are receiving wide support from religious associations and Korean residents in the U.S.

Congress and the administration are showing greater interest in the North Korean human rights situation. Criticisms have arisen due to the fact that although the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 was passed, it did not stop the repatriation of defectors to North Korea. Public opinion criticizes the defector policy of China, and claims that the U.S. should take further action.

Also, now that the Illegal Immigration Regulation Act was submitted to Congress, some are worried that North Korean defectors will enter the U.S. en masse. As a result, it is very likely that the U.S. will only intermittently accept defectors.

– What about the possibility of commodities produced at the Gaesung industrial complex making inroads into the U.S. market?

It is currently unlikely that commodities produced at the Gaesung industrial complex would enter the U.S. market. An official at the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said that “matters related to the Gaesung industrial complex are very delicate”. A congressperson concerned said that “if commodities produced at the Gaesung industrial complex are permitted to enter the U.S. market, it would be the same as allowing North Korea to enter the market through the back door of the Korea-US FTA”.