§7832 Assistance provided inside North Korea

Summary

Requires that U.S. humanitarian aid inside North Korea be sent and watched so it helps the neediest people and is not diverted to political or military uses. Big increases in U.S. aid should only happen after clear improvements in how aid is tracked, how transparent it is, and how easily aid workers can reach vulnerable people. The U.S. should also push other donor countries to give help through monitored, transparent channels instead of handing it directly to the North Korean government. Says U.S. humanitarian help given to any North Korean government office must follow international aid standards, be based on need (not used as a reward or punishment), actually reach the intended people who should know where it came from, and be available to all vulnerable groups across the country. Nonhumanitarian aid must wait until North Korea makes substantial progress on six things: respect for basic human rights (including religious freedom); family reunification with relatives in the U.S.; full disclosure about Japanese and Republic of Korea citizens abducted by North Korea; allowing those abductees and their families to freely leave and return to their home countries; reforming prison and labor camps with independent international monitoring; and decriminalizing political speech and activity. No later than 180 days after October 18, 2004, the USAID Administrator must report to Congress on how this section is being followed.