House votes to move toward designating North Korea as state sponsor of terror

Source: The Hill | April 4, 2017 | Cristina Marcos

The House approved legislation on Monday that would order the State Department to determine whether North Korea is a state sponsor of terrorism.

The 394-1 vote comes after North Korea test fired a new ballistic missile in February, along with multiple other nuclear and ballistic missile tests last year alone.

Lawmakers also adopted, 398-3, a resolution on Monday condemning North Korea’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles in violation of United Nations Security council measures. 

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), the author of the bill directing the State Department to reconsider the state sponsor of terrorism designation, argued North Korea’s escalation of weapons tests merited at least consideration for being reinstated as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“It’s high time we call out Lil’ Kim, the loose cannon of east Asia, for what he is: a terrorist in a terrorist state,” Poe said, using his preferred nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

North Korea was delisted as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2008 as part of an agreement with President George W. Bush’s administration to scale back its nuclear weapons program. But North Korea has since reversed course with its repeated nuclear tests. 

There are currently only three countries on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, Sudan and Syria. 

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