House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (CA-40) and Ranking Member Ami Bera (CA-06) have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at reauthorizing and updating the North Korean Human Rights Act. The legislation, called the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2025, continues efforts that began in 2004 to promote human rights and access to information within North Korea.
Congresswoman Kim stated, “Kim Jong Un knows nothing but power and is hellbent on lining his own pockets and expanding his nuclear arsenal, even at the expense of his own people. The North Korean people face torture, imprisonment, starvation, and forced labor every single day. These gross human rights abuses cannot be tolerated. Supporting the human rights of freedom-loving people trapped under authoritarian regimes is personal to me as a Korean American and Chairwoman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. I’m proud to lead the bipartisan North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act, which is imperative for the United States to take action to deter Kim Jong Un.”
Representative Ami Bera added, “North Korea’s oppressive regime continues to commit heinous human rights abuses against its own people, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, torture, and severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief. I’m proud to join Chairwoman Kim in introducing this bipartisan legislation to reaffirm America’s commitment to promoting human rights, expanding access to independent information, supporting international efforts to protect North Korean defectors, and holding the Kim regime accountable for its ongoing abuses.”
Key elements in the proposed act include initiatives such as encouraging reunifications between divided Korean American families; requiring annual reporting by the Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific on efforts related to human rights promotion; ensuring timely appointment of a Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues; and promoting greater freedom of information within North Korea.
Young Kim has represented California’s 40th district in Congress since 2021 after replacing Gil Cisneros. She previously served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2016. Born in Incheon, South Korea in 1962, she currently resides in La Habra. Kim earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Southern California in 1985.
The full text of the bill can be accessed HERE.
