While much of the attention on North Korea relates to its nuclear weapons program, the regime has a long record of human rights violations. In the fall of 2004, the United States Congress took up this issue with the intent of finding ways to improve the human rights situation in North Korea. The culmination of those efforts were the North Korea Human Rights Act, which was signed into law on October 18, 2004 by President George W. Bush. As the recent UN Commission of Inquiry report indicates, the issue of human rights in North Korea remains one of grave importance.