MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in the Korean Peninsula
14.6.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Jelko Kacin, Marietje Schaake, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Marielle de Sarnez on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0358/2010
B7‑0359/2010
European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Korean Peninsula
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Korea,
– having regard to High Representative Catherine Ashton's statement on the publication of the report on the sinking of the Republic of Korea Ship 'Cheonan',
– having regard to the report 'Investigation Result on the Sinking of ROKS "Cheonan"',
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
Sinking of the 'Cheonan'
A. whereas a South Korean patrol boat, the 'Cheonan', sank on 26 March 2010, after an attack in disputed waters, killing 46 sailors,
B. whereas the vessel was split apart due to the shockwave and bubble effect produced by the underwater torpedo explosion which took place in the waters just off Baegnyong island, close to the disputed inter-Korean maritime border,
C. whereas the huge damage in area of gas turbine room caused the ship to sink; whereas the other part of the vessel was found 7km away from the place of the attack due to the very strong current,
D. whereas parts of the CHT-02D torpedo retrieved from the seabed on 15 May 2010 carried marking in Hangul that matched a North Korean design of that heavyweight torpedo with diameter of 21 inches, a weight of 1.7 tonnes and a net explosive weight of up to 250 kg,
E. whereas all submarines from other neighbouring countries were either in or near their basis at the time of the incident,
F. whereas an inquiry carried out by a Joint Civilian-Military Investigation Group (JIP) international team through an investigation and validation process undertaken with a scientific and objective approach together with an independent assessment by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Committee showed clear, indisputable evidence that ROKS 'Cheonan' was sunk as the result of an external underwater explosion caused by torpedo made in North Korea fired by a small Nort Korean submarine,
G. whereas the UN Secretary-General has described the results of the report as 'deeply troubling',
H. whereas the Government of the RoK has demanded a public apology and a promise that no further provocations will follow from the DPRK authorities,
I. whereas North Korea denies all responsibility for the incident, accusing South Korea of 'fabrication',
J. whereas as a result of the incident POK has announced a suspension and has stopped all relations with DPRK with the exception of humanitarian aid and the operations of the KIC; and has also announces resumption of radio and loudspeaker broadcasts of propaganda, but these are being postponed so far,
K. whereas in response to the suspension of trade ties, North Korea has severed all ties with South Korea and has threatened to target South Korean loudspeaker posts if they continue to broadcast propaganda and has threatened all-out war in case further sanctions are adopted against DPRK,
L. whereas the EU strongly supports the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, with a resumption of the Six-Party Talks as an essential process for peace and stability in the region,
M. whereas in the past China has been reluctant to exert pressure, fearing an influx of refugees across the border,
N. whereas Seoul has formally referred the issue to the UN Security Council for debate while North Korea has written to the president of the UN Security Council denying any responsibility for the attack and encouraging the Council to help North Korea carry out its own investigations,
Human Rights
O. whereas according to satellite images and various accounts by North Korean defectors, it has been determined that North Korea has six political concentration camps, with over 150 000 political prisoners,
P. whereas political prisoners detained in the camps are deprived of fundamental human rights and have no contact with the outside world, whereas many die of malnutrition, treatable diseases and are deprived of medical care,
Q. whereas there are no free means of communication such as radio, newspapers and internet access in North Korea, which implies only government approved or initiated information can reach its population, and hardly any information about the human rights situation can be communicated by North Koreans to the rest of the world; whereas international humanitarian and human rights organizations have no access to North Korea or its population,
R. whereas the European Union is strongly committed to the abolition of the death penalty and is striving to achieve universal acceptance of this principle,
S. whereas, on 25 February 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea ruled by a 5‑4 majority that capital punishment is constitutional, and whereas, however, the judges also underlined that the issue of whether to retain or abolish the death penalty should be debated in the National Assembly rather than in the course of constitutional proceedings, whereas the Constitutional Court adopted its ruling by a vote of 5 in favour to 4 against, and whereas the 1996 ruling was adopted by 7 votes to 2,
T. whereas the Republic of Korea has more than 55 prisoners facing confirmed death sentences, whereas the last execution in the Republic of Korea took place in December 1997; whereas, under the newly inaugurated President Kim Dae-jung, who had himself been sentenced to death in 1980 before being pardoned, capital punishment ceased to be applied, and whereas for the last 13 years the Republic of Korea has belonged to the group of nations that are ‘abolitionist in practice’,
U. whereas on 18 December 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted, by a large majority, a resolution asking countries that practise the death penalty to ‘establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty’, the content of which was reaffirmed in a second resolution adopted on 18 December 2008,
1. Deeply regrets the tragic loss of life aboard the SK Corvette Cheonan and conveys its sympathy to the RoK Government, the families of the deceased, and the Korean people in a spirit of solidarity and friendship;
2. Echoes the HR/VP's condemnation of the attack and commends the restraint exhibited by the Republic of Korea;
3. Acknowledges the conclusions of the final report of the Joint Investigation Group, and firmly condemns the sinking as a provocative act against peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula;
4. Regrets that the governments of PRC and the Russian Federation have still not taken a clear position on the conclusions of the final report of the Joint Investigation Group;
5. Calls on both parties to exercise restraint and to use all means to improve inter-Korean relations and step up efforts to promote lasting peace and security on the Korean peninsula;
6. Calls on China, as a regional power,a permanent member of the Security Council and North Korea's main trading ally, to exert appropriate influence on North Korea and attempt to ensure that the conflict does not degenerate further;
7. Welcomes declarations by PR of China that is it "ready to work with the US" and encourages both countries to work in such a way that they maintain stability in the Korean peninsula;
8. Expresses its support for the referral of the matter to the UNSC by the govt of ROK;
9. Calls on the countries in the six-party disarmament talks to continues working together to ensure that the talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programme resume;
Human rights
10. Calls on the EU to appoint an EU special representative on North Korea to ensure persistent attention and coordination to help resolve North Korea’s human rights issues, both within the European Union and with key partners such as the United States, Japan, Switzerland, PR of China and Republic of Korea;
11. Calls for the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry to assess past and present human rights violations in North Korea to determine to which extent such violations and impunity associated with the abuse may constitute crimes against humanity and be subject to international jurisdiction;
12. Calls on the European Union member states, to work with the United States and other international partners to ensure; 1) that persistent and serious human rights violations in North Korea are addressed, 2) press China to recognize and protect North Korean refugees, and 3) agree to resettle North Korean refugees;
13. Calls on the European Union member states and candidate states to ensure the protection and promotion of basic workers’ rights for North Korean workers directly or indirectly employed by European corporations inside and outside Europe, including in Russia, the Middle East and Asia;
14. Recognises that the Republic of Korea has not carried out any executions since 1998, making it a de facto abolitionist country; welcomes improvements in the protection and promotion of human rights there; Calls on the Republic of Korea to send a very strong message to countries in the region and around the world that human rights are universal;
15. Reiterates its general opposition to the death penalty, which is at odds with a modern criminal justice system and, contrary to popular belief, does not reduce crime rates;
16. Encourages the Republic of Korea to institute a legal moratorium on all executions until Parliament has passed a law abolishing the death penalty; Korea’s existing strong and positive contribution to promoting human rights on the Korean peninsula and around the world demonstrates an alliance of values with the EU;
17. Underlines that it believes that the EU and the Republic of Korea must strengthen their political, economical, scientific, cultural and overall cooperation by creating better conditions for a much wider exchange of students and young politicians;
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and candidate countries, the UN Secretary-General, the Government of the Republic of Korea and the National Human Rights Committee of Korea (NHRCK).