Press Releases

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea and senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on controversial Korean legislation that would criminalize the sending of leaflets, printed materials, auxiliary storage devices, money or other monetary benefits through the inter-Korea border and through third countries to North Korea:

“I am concerned about the Korean National Assembly’s recent vote to criminalize sending printed materials, auxiliary storage devices, money, and other items through the inter-Korea border and through third countries like China to North Korea. In its current form, this legislation could harm the ability of Korean human rights organizations to disseminate independent and diverse information to the North Korean people and have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. We do not counter North Korea’s suppression of free expression by limiting our own. I urge President Moon Jae-in to seek critical revisions to the bill before signing it.”