West OC Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A bipartisan resolution has been introduced by Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45) alongside Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Young Kim (R-CA), and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), urging the Biden Administration and international allies to address the human rights crisis facing North Koreans in China.

Representative Michelle Steel emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "As North Korea and the CCP aggressively hunt for defectors, innocent North Koreans searching for freedom, like my parents did so many years ago, need our help now more than ever." She further highlighted the plight of women and girls among the defectors, stating, "The vast majority of these individuals are women and girls who are sexually abused, trafficked, and forced into ‘marriages’ with Chinese citizens. They are treated as less than human. We must use every tool at our disposal to end these horrific abuses."

Joining in the call for action, Representative Young Kim shared her personal connection to the issue, saying, “North Koreans fleeing their regime’s human rights abuses, as my relatives did, face the same brutal treatment from forced labor and arbitrary detention to human trafficking, by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).” Kim expressed her pride in supporting the bipartisan resolution aimed at standing with North Korean refugees facing CCP human rights abuses.

Representative Anthony D’Esposito echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need for the United States and its allies to intervene, stating, “The United States and our international partners must demand that the Chinese Communist Party end its campaign of violence against North Korean defectors who fled to China in order to escape the totalitarian North Korean regime.” D’Esposito expressed pride in standing alongside Representative Michelle Steel and other legislators in urging the Biden Administration to take a stronger stance against China's treatment of North Korean defectors.

The resolution put forth by the bipartisan group urges actions such as pressuring the Chinese Communist Party to end its abuses of North Korean defectors, utilizing the influence of the United Nations to protect North Korean asylum seekers, and considering issuing an atrocity determination for the CCP's treatment of North Korean refugees.

The resolution text and more details can be found at the provided link.