Hoeven: Congress Passes Strong Sanctions on North Korea

Press Release

Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support pending legislation imposing sanctions on North Korea in the wake of that country's recent nuclear bomb test and long-range missile launch. Following North Korea's nuclear test last month, a Minot-based B-52 deployed to Guam conducted a low-altitude flight over the Korean peninsula with a squadron of South Korean F-16s in a show of force and unity with our allies.

The Senate approved the legislation this evening with broad bipartisan support, 96 to 0. The House passed the measure last month.

"I urge my colleagues to support the sanctions bill in front of us to put pressure on North Korea financially," Hoeven said. "I also urge them to support critical investments in our nuclear bombers and cruise missile forces when we consider the annual defense bills later this year. Both sanctions and a modern military are critical to our national security and that of our allies, as well as to maintaining stability in this potentially volatile part of the world."

The United Nations sanctioned North Korea nearly 10 years ago in response to its first nuclear tests. The U.N. sanctions ban the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile activity, blacklist a number of individuals and prohibit the importation of luxury goods by the country's privileged leaders. Since 2006, however, North Korea has detonated three more nuclear bombs, including the one detonated last month described by the country's officials as a hydrogen bomb. The totalitarian regime has also conducted numerous tests of ballistic missiles, signifying the U.N. sanctions are not working and stiffer penalties are called for.

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