Ruling party vows to pass N. Korea human rights bill this month

The chief policymaker at South Korea's ruling party vowed Friday to push through parliament a bill to improve North Korea's human rights this month, despite a political deadlock and the North's threats against the bill.
The bill, sponsored by the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), calls for assistance to improve the regime's human rights record and humanitarian aid to North Koreans, but the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has disagreed on legislative procedure over the bill.
"I'm making it clear again that we will pass the bill on North Korean human rights without fail during this month's extraordinary National Assembly session," Rep. Lee Ju-young of the GNP told party leaders in a meeting.
"The DP should not ignore the tears of blood of our compatriots in North Korea by shunning the human rights bill on the North," Lee said.
North Korea has strongly protested against the GNP-sponsored bill that could further sour inter-Korean relations, which plunged to their lowest level in decades following the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.
This week, North Korea again threatened to sever all contact with South Korea if the South's parliament passes the bill.
"From the moment (South Korea) manipulates the 'North Korea human rights bill' despite our strong warnings, all relations between North and South Korea will be completely severed," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said in a commentary carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).