A joint resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and reaffirming the United States-Korea alliance.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), who is the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

I thank my good friend from Indiana. I wholeheartedly agree with his remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of this important resolution which honors, as the inscription at the Korean War Memorial reads, our ``sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.''

On a predawn Sunday morning in June 1950, while the world slept and the church bells of Seoul had yet to ring, North Korea launched a sudden, unprovoked military strike on the Republic of Korea. President Harry Truman, when he received the news, immediately returned to Washington and summoned his Cabinet. Within 48 hours, the President had directed General Douglas MacArthur to undertake a vigorous defense of South Korea and her people. The rest is history, history of what has come to be known as The Forgotten War.

The conflict in Korea became the first test of the mettle of the West in confronting Communist aggression in the Cold War. Over 50,000 of the boys and young men and women of the summer of 1950 who left for Korea did not return, including over 33,000 who fell in combat. In the sweltering heat of that summer, in the monsoon rains, on the windswept expanse of the Yalu River, and in the bloody withdrawal from the icy Chosin Reservoir the following winter, they gave, in some cases, their last full measure of devotion.

Names like Heartbreak Ridge, Pork Chop Hill, Gloucester Valley, where British, Belgian, and Philippine troops joined with their American comrades in arms, echo down to us in the slowly fading memories of aging warriors.

Were their great sacrifices worth the cost, worth the blood, sweat, and tears of the boys of summer of 1950? One only has to look at the faces of those living in freedom in South Korea. One only has to look at the gleaming towers of the bright skyline of Seoul in contrast to the darkness, the impoverishment, and the fear that lies north of the 38th parallel to say thank God for those brave men and women who risked all to save so many from Communist oppression.

However, we were unable to help save them all. One need only reflect on the huddled refugees, crossing the vastness of China on the underground ``Seoul train.''

One need only think of the young North Korean women, escaping the hopelessness of sexual bondage in China for freedom in South Korea, to know that those who answered Harry Truman's call truly made a difference.

I was a proud sponsor of the reauthorization of the North Korean Human Rights Act during the last Congress to help address some of those issues.

Today, dark clouds hang once again over the Korean peninsula. The vibrant economy and flourishing democracy of a South Korea which had risen from the ashes of war is again under the threat of the tyrannical and belligerent north.

In March, in a clear violation of the armistice agreement, North Korea launched another sudden, unprovoked attack, torpedoing a South Korean naval vessel and murdering 46 young South Korean sailors. And Pyongyang's provocation is not limited to military strikes. In actions which are clearly those of a state sponsor of terrorism, North Korea sent a hit squad of agents to Seoul to assassinate a leading dissident and attempted to ship weapons via Bangkok to designated terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.

Madam Speaker, now is the time for our President to show some of the mettle that defined our Nation 60 years ago and stand up to the North Koreans by redesignating their country as a state sponsor of terrorism. Our South Korean, Japanese, and Israeli allies are depending on us to help shield them from North Korean provocations and weapons of mass destruction.

In the crisis on the Korean peninsula, Beijing has played a cynical game, calling for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula on one hand, and shielding its North Korean cronies on the other hand. Beijing even had the audacity to publicly warn South Korea not to let the aircraft carrier USS George Washington enter waters lying between the Korean peninsula and China for a proposed joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercise.

Well, we have news for Beijing: If you don't want the USS George Washington in your backyard, then you had better rein in the bullies in Pyongyang.

Another sterling legacy of the Forgotten War is the vibrant Korean American community. Immigrants from Korea over the past six decades have contributed immeasurably to the American mosaic, impacting positively this Nation's economic, educational, scientific, and cultural life. Economic and trade ties have also boomed between our two countries in the decades since the war, ties which could be greatly invigorated by prompt congressional action on the proposed free trade agreement with South Korea.

Thus, it is perfectly clear that the world is a better place because of the heroism in Korea of the Boys of Summer 60 years ago this month. The 60th anniversary of the outbreak of war in Korea is an appropriate time to demonstrate that we continue to stand with our South Korean allies. The people of South Korea should be assured that we stood with you in the summer of 1950; we stood with you during the recent Cheonan crisis; and we shall stand with you until the day of peaceful reunification with your abused and besieged brethren in the north.

Madam Speaker, I strongly and enthusiastically urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, this joint resolution recognizes the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war, as well as honoring the strong friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

June 25 is a very important day, not only in Korean history, but also in U.S. history. On that day 60 years ago, Communist troops from the Soviet-occupied north crossed the invisible border at the 38th parallel to invade their free brethren to the south--killing thousands of civilians and forcing streams of refugees to flee their advance.

Under the leadership of President Harry S. Truman, the United States responded to its first military challenge of the Cold War by dispatching U.S. forces to lead 15 other countries of a United Nations force to defend against the spread of communism. President Truman made his commitment to the war very clear:

In the simplest terms, what we are doing in Korea is this:

We are trying to prevent a third world war. . . . If history

has taught us anything, it is that aggression anywhere in the

world is a threat to peace everywhere in the world. When that

aggression is supported by the cruel and selfish rulers of a

powerful nation who are bent on conquest, it becomes a clear

and present danger to the security and independence of every

free nation.

During the 3 years of the Korean war, 5.7 million Americans answered the call to duty, and almost 1.8 million of these men and women deployed across the Pacific to serve in some of the most harsh and unforgiving conditions along the rugged peninsula, in the skies above the Yalu River, on carriers and other surface ships at sea, or from staging and support areas in Japan. By the official cease fire on July 27, 1953, 54,246 American servicemen and servicewomen had sacrificed their lives to defeat Korean and Chinese Communist troops and push them north of what is known as the Demilitarized Zone. Since then, a stalemate has existed on the Korean Peninsula, with the United States supporting a free and prosperous Republic of Korea, while keeping a wary eye on the brutally repressive regime across the border. In the last 60 years, there have been several confrontational episodes and potential flashpoints between the two Koreas, and events of the last few weeks show us that the conflict continues today.

Although we are hopeful that the swell of military action 60 years ago will be the most profound fighting in the Korean war, North Korea has shown a propensity to provoke its sister country in the South. This is clearly evident in the brutal murder of 46 South Korean sailors of the South Korean Navy ship, the Cheowan, on May 20. Compelling evidence points toward North Korean culpability in this latest episode. Such an act of aggression only serves to underscore and reaffirm the importance of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Today, U.S. Forces Korea--the combined American air, ground, and naval forces of roughly 28,500 American servicemembers--still stand ready to assist in the safety and security of South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone, DMZ, and throughout the rest of the peninsula below the 38th Parallel.

This mutual and enduring friendship has been in evidence since September 11, 2001. South Korea has been an able and willing ally in the global war on terror, dispatching the 100th Engineer Group and 924th Medical Group to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their forces have been integral in providing humanitarian and medical aid to soldiers and civilians alike, as well as working to rebuild infrastructure in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I ask all of my esteemed colleagues to stand with me and pass this joint resolution, to not only commemorate the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war and properly honor those Americans who served proudly in that conflict, but also to recognize the continued resilience and vibrancy of the alliance between our nations.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 32) recognizing the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and reaffirming the United States-Korea alliance.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, last week the House passed H.J. Res. 86, a joint resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. That resolution was introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and three other distinguished veterans of the Korean War: the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Johnson), and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).

We had hoped that the Senate would take up and pass the House version of the joint resolution and then send it over to the President for his signature before tomorrow's Korean War commemoration in Statuary Hall. However, the other body made a number of technical corrections to their version of the joint resolution subsequent to last week's House action, and, as a result, the only viable means for us to get the joint resolution to the President in a timely fashion was for the House to take up and pass the Senate Joint Resolution, which is the legislation before us today.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her strong support and giving us the background for which this resolution was introduced.

I have the largest Korean, South Korean, community in the United States in my district, all of Koreatown; and they are struggling with the challenge ahead of them. We are there behind them to support them, and I want you to know in August I will be going to Korea. I invite my colleague to go with us if she can spare the time. What we do, we spread good will and let the South Koreans know how appreciative we are with them coming here to America. And particularly in Los Angeles, with their stimulating and vigorous entrepreneurship, they have added so much to the culture, and that added value makes us a little stronger. I hope that we can return the favor to add value to South Korea.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as the senior Republican on the Asia Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I rise in support of recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Korean War and reaffirming the U.S.-Korea alliance. During this time of anxiety on the Korean peninsula, it is critical that Congress sends a bipartisan message of solidarity with our friends in South Korea.

The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, when communist North Korean forces crossed

the infamous 38th Parallel in the attempt to force South Korea to submit to their regime. The U.S. and other allied nations successfully stopped and reversed the invasion by pro-communist forces but at a high cost--over 54,000 American deaths. It led to a divided peninsula that is still with us today.

However, the 1953 Armistice agreement allowed a pocket of freedom to bloom. South Korea is now a fully-fledged democracy, with competitive, freely held elections. In addition, South Korea is now the world's 14th largest economy. Three years ago, I had the honor of hosting the South Korean Ambassador in northern Illinois. I was impressed with his quest to personally thank and honor as many Korean War veterans as possible for their service and sacrifice.

Unfortunately, South Korea is once again threatened with war from the North if the United Nations reprimands North Korea for sinking a South Korean warship. This is outrageous. The U.N. should not be intimated by such bellicose rhetoric. That is why this resolution is so important to reaffirm our commitment to the alliance with the Republic of Korea for the betterment of peace and prosperity in the Korean peninsula. I urge my colleagues to support S.J. Res. 32.

I thank my good friend from Florida for yielding.

I would just like to say that South Korea has been one of our greatest allies ever since the Korean War. We

worked together during the war, along with the United Nations, to stop the expansion of communism throughout that area. And ultimately, there was a resolution of the problem, although it's still kind of tenuous, when they divided Korea along the 38th parallel.

I have been over there and I have seen what's happened in Korea since the Korean War, and I have to tell you that there has never been a clearer case of freedom and democracy as opposed to a totalitarian Communist government than in Korea. In Korea, North Korea is foundering. It's under a dictator. The Communist system has created famine and a huge loss of life. The tyranny there is unbelievable. And yet you just go south of the 38th parallel and you see a blossoming country, one that has done extremely well over the past 60 years because of freedom and democracy.

I think that South Korea is one of the best allies that the United States has. And the one thing I would like to add to this little discussion today is the need for us to expand our trade relations with South Korea with a free trade agreement. That's been languishing for a long time. And I would just like to say to my colleagues that's one of the things that can enhance our relationship with South Korea, and we need to get that thing passed as quickly as possible.

With that, I would just like to say one more time, South Korea is one of our best allies in that entire region and a perfect example of where freedom and democracy really works well.