Senator Markey Reintroduces Legislation to Expedite Humanitarian Aid to the People of North Korea

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (August 7, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced the Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act of 2026, which would expedite the efforts of non-governmental organizations to provide lifesaving medical care, sanitation systems, and other essential humanitarian needs to the people of North Korea. The legislation would modify sanctions implementation at the United States Department of Treasury, Department of State, Department of Commerce, and the United Nations' North Korea sanctions committee to ensure that assistance can reach those in need. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) cosponsors the legislation.

"Sanctions on North Korea should target the oppressive Kim regime and its dangerous nuclear ambitions-not its vulnerable civilians who lack access to essential services and lifesaving care. Thousands across North Korea are without adequate medical treatment, clean water, and stable food supplies, not because we lack the will to help, but because of bureaucratic roadblocks that delay aid for months on end," said Senator Markey. "The United States must cut through the red tape preventing the efforts of non-governmental organizations to provide such basic needs of North Koreans."

As of 2025, roughly 11,800,000 people in North Korea are in urgent need of food assistance and roughly 10,400,000 need improved access to basic services, including health care, water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Additionally, more than 45 percent of the population in North Korea is undernourished, and one-third of household drinking water is contaminated. Humanitarian groups address these essential needs-providing a lifeline for the North Korean people-but under the current sanctions regulations, they often get obstructed by bureaucratic roadblocks. For instance, the treatment of tuberculosis requires not just food and medicine, which are exempted from sanctions, but also basic materials to make temporary patient isolation wards. Even the laptops that humanitarian workers need for their projects can too easily trigger sanctions-related delays.

Specifically, the Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act of 2026 would:

• Require the Treasury and Commerce Departments to expand narrow humanitarian sanctions exceptions to cover, among others, items that support humanitarian projects, beyond just food and medicine
• Require the Treasury Department to report regularly on humanitarian license requests and comfort letters, including explanations for the denials, to encourage timely responses
• Require the Treasury Department to issue plainly worded guidance to ensure that not only banks but also shippers, suppliers, and others involved in aid understand how to make use of humanitarian exemptions
• Require the administration to use U.S. influence at the UN to push for changes that expedite humanitarian exemptions and ease application burdens for nongovernmental organizations
• Require the State Department to brief Congress on actions that could simplify travel authorizations for legitimate humanitarian work in North Korea

"Several decades of humanitarian cooperation in North Korea has shown us at AFSC how critical this work is," said Austin Headrick, Asia Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee. "We are grateful to Senator Markey for his leadership to address the challenges facing humanitarian cooperation with the Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act. This is an important step in ensuring life-saving supplies can reach the people who need them most."

Senator Markey has consistently advocated for the United States to uphold international law and support human rights and humanitarian protections around the world. Most recently on July 31, Senator Markey, along with Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), reintroduced the Turkey Human Rights Promotion Act of 2026 to promote democracy, defend human rights, and impose accountability on the Government of Turkey for systemic political repression and violations of international law.

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