U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law the North Korea Human Rights Act, which calls attention to the suppression of freedom and other human rights in North Korea.

U.S. Congress and the Bush administration are jointly sending a warning to North Korea that the Americans are not only watching Pyongyang's nuclear development but are also attentive to human rights abuses in that country.

North Korea should show neither an excess amount of resentment of the law nor shrug it off.

The law signed by the president on Monday calls for disclosure of information about Japanese and South Korean citizens abducted by North Korean agents and their return to their home country as well as assuring the freedoms of speech and religion in the North. Unless there are improvement in these problems, the law allows of no economic assistance to North Korea except aid for humanitarian purposes.

The law also establishes a post for a special envoy of the president. The envoy will oversee the human rights situation in North Korea, consult with North Korean officials and report the results of the consultations to Congress.

It also includes a provision empowering the president to open the door to the United States for North Korean defectors while providing monetary assistance to North Korean refugees and civil groups tackling human rights abuses in that country.

It is understandable that the United States wants to hold North Korea in check and keep a watchful eye on it. But it is doubtful the law will be effective in ameliorating the human rights situation in North Korea right away.

The United States has already suspended heavy oil shipments to North Korea because of Pyongyang's uranium-enrichment program. Washington does not provide any aid other than food and other humanitarian assistance through international organizations. Therefore, the United States does not give any substantial economic assistance that can be suspended if North Korea refuses to comply.

North Korea, which has nothing to immediately lose even if it angers the United States, castigated the new law as an egregious, hostile act aimed at overthrowing the present regime.

But that was beside the point.

It is true that the United States adopts a double standard: While it takes a stern attitude toward its adversaries, it turns a blind eye to human rights violation by its friends. There may be cases in which pressure alone will not succeed in turning things in a desired direction.

As far as North Korea is concerned, however, it is obvious that the horrendous behavior by Pyongyang, such as kidnapping foreign people, suppressing freedom, and oppressing political opponents, led to the human rights law in the United States.

North Korean authorities should face up to that fact.

It is significant that the United States has expressed its intention to help rescue those abducted by North Korea. We hope such action will reveal what has become of the 10 missing Japanese who are believed to have been abducted by North Korea.

It is not yet known how widely the United States will open its door to North Korean defectors. The country has yet to accept any of them.

The new law, however, will encourage the drives in the United States and other countries for rescuing those people.

There are no prospects on the horizon for resuming six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear development programs.

Pyongyang may attempt to use the U.S. human rights law as a bargaining chip in a deal for the resumption of the six-way talks.

But the six-way talks are also a framework for North Korea to gain entry into international community. If it continues its insincere attitude over its nuclear development programs and the abduction issue, and holds the international community cheap, it will end up in stewing in its own juice.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 22(IHT/Asahi: October 23,2004) (10/23)