hankyoreh

A U.S. congressional report has proposed legislation requiring North Korea to improve its human rights conditions in exchange for diplomatic relations with the United States, using a 2003 act on Burma as a model.

The report, titled "North Korean Refugees in China and Human Rights Issues: International Response and U.S. Policy Options," said human rights have yet to be addressed in the ongoing talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

"Depending upon the outcome of the current negotiations with North Korea and fulfillment of its obligations, refocusing attention on the humanitarian and human rights issues may support the need for additional legislation and oversight by Congress," the report, dated Sept. 26, said.

One option is legislation requiring Pyongyang to make progress on those issues in return for diplomatic ties with the U.S. and an end to Washington's economic sanctions, said the report.

"For example, although the political situations are very different in these two countries, the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 could provide a useful model for such legislation," it said.

The act bans imports from Burma, seriously affecting the Southeast Asian country's textile sector. The U.S. has not had an ambassador to the country since 1992 when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee refused to confirm an envoy's nomination because of human rights issues.

The conditions set forth in the act demonstrate that the Congress favors maintaining a full range of sanctions until the military junta in Burma terminates human rights abuses and makes political changes, the report noted.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (Yonhap)