As a result of this analysis, the OIG plans to refer serious cases to appropriate law enforcement agencies and take administrative action against the less serious violators.

The report put North Korea "in first place as the most serious human-rights violator," Mr. Schifter said.

The administration's nursing home plan, says USAT , will require more random inspections at night and on weekends and impose immediate civil monetary penalties on serious or chronic violators.

Andrei V. Kozyrev, then Russia's foreign minister, said that because North Korea's government was a serious violator of human rights, a change in government was needed.

In fact, though the government sends scores of warnings each year to the most serious violators, only once has it levied a fine.

Bids for Cooperation The Government's strategy, defense lawyers said, has apparently been to use the early cooperation of bit players to implicate more serious violators.

"The current law is inadequate to deal with serious violators, repetitive violators, situations where people are put at risk day after day."

At the end of last month the United States named Japan, along with India and Brazil, as serious fair-trade violators subject to 100 percent retaliatory duties.

Some might be stopped briefly for it and the most chronic and serious violators might pay harsher penalties.

Less serious violators would be charged civil penalties of up to $10,000.