….. the Bill (H.R. 479) sets the stage
to restore North Korea’s
well-deserved place on the list of official state sponsors
of
terror.” Congressman Cook points out.
Targeting North Korea
Washington D C ____ Representative Paul
Cook (R-Apple Valley) Monday April 3, 2017 voted for House of Representative Bill #479,
the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017. The Bill passed the House overwhelmingly.
H.R. 479 requires the Secretary of
State to determine whether the government of North Korea meets the criteria of
a state sponsor of terrorism. It requires the Secretary to issue a report
within 90 days of enactment.
The Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea aka North Korea was designated as
a state sponsor of terrorism in 1988 because of its alleged involvement in
the 1983 Rangoon bombing and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner.
October
11, 2008, the United States removed North Korea from its list of states that
sponsor terrorism after the government agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons
program. Since then, North
Korea has failed to live up to its commitments, has materially supported
terrorist attacks by Hezbollah, is responsible for cyber-attacks against
nuclear facilities in South Korea and the attack on Sony Pictures, and
allegedly is responsible for the poisoning and killing of Kim Jong-nam.
U.S. Congressman Cook
said, “For too long, North Korea has been thumbing its nose at sanctions and
has gone unpunished for its support for international terrorism. This has only
encouraged it to continue and expand its campaign of assassination and terror
abroad. This important Bill (H.R. 479) sets the stage to restore North Korea’s
well-deserved place on the list of official state sponsors of terror.”