III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 20 

Encouraging peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2013 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BAUCUS, 

Mr. WYDEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. TESTER, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Mr. DONNELLY, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Encouraging peace and reunification on the Korean 

Peninsula. 

Whereas the Republic of Korea (in this resolution referred to 

as ‘‘South Korea’’) and the Democratic People’s Republic 

of Korea (in this resolution referred to as ‘‘North 

Korea’’) have never formally ended hostilities and have 

been technically in a state of war since the Armistice 

Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953; 

Whereas the United States, as representing the United Nations Forces Command which was a signatory to the Armistice Agreement, and with 28,500 of its troops currently stationed in South Korea, has a stake in the 

progress towards peace and reunification on the Korean 

Peninsula; 


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•SCON 20 IS 

Whereas progress towards peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula would mean greater security and prosperity for the region and the world; 

Whereas, at the end of World War II, Korea officially gained 

independence from Japanese rule, as agreed to at the 

Cairo Conference on November 22, 1943, through November 26, 1943; 

Whereas, on August 10, 1945, the Korean Peninsula was 

temporarily divided along the 38th parallel into two military occupation zones commanded by the United States 

and the Soviet Union; 

Whereas, on June 25, 1950, communist North Korea invaded 

the South, thereby initiating the Korean War and diminishing prospects for a peaceful unification of Korea; 

Whereas, during the Korean War, approximately 1,789,000 

members of the United States Armed Forces served intheater along with the South Korean forces and 20 other 

members of the United Nations to secure peace on the 

Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region; 

Whereas, since the end of the Korean War era, the United 

States Armed Forces have remained in South Korea to 

promote regional peace; 

Whereas provocations by the Government of North Korea in 

recent years have escalated tension and instability in the 

Asia-Pacific region; 

Whereas one of the largest obstacles to peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula is the presence of nuclear 

weapons in North Korea; 

Whereas the refusal of the Government of North Korea to 

denuclearize disrupts peace and security on the Korean 

Peninsula; 


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•SCON 20 IS 

Whereas, beginning in 2003, the United States, along with 

the two Koreas, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, 

and the Russian Federation, have engaged in six rounds 

of Six-Party Talks aimed at the verifiable and irreversible 

denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and finding a 

peaceful resolution to the security concerns resulting 

from North Korea’s nuclear development; 

Whereas the three-mile wide buffer zone between the two Koreas, known as the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, is the 

most heavily armed border in the world; 

Whereas the Korean War separated more than 10,000,000 

Korean family members, including 100,000 Korean 

Americans who, after 60 years of separation, are still 

waiting to see their families in North Korea; 

Whereas reunification remains a long-term goal of South 

Korea; 

Whereas South Korea and North Korea are both full members of the United Nations, whose stated purpose includes maintaining international peace and security, and 

to that end ‘‘take effective collective measures for the 

prevention and removal of threats to the peace’’; 

Whereas the Governments and people of the United States 

and South Korea have continuously stood shoulder-toshoulder to promote and defend international peace and 

security, economic prosperity, human rights, and the rule 

of law both on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, and the 

denuclearization of North Korea; and 

Whereas July 27, 2013, marks the 60th anniversary of the 

Armistice Agreement of the Korean War: Now, therefore, 

be it 


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•SCON 20 IS 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the historical importance of the 

4 Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950; 

5 (2) honors the noble service and sacrifice of 

6 members of the United States Armed Forces and 

7 the armed forces of allied countries that have served 

8 in Korea since 1950; 

9 (3) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

10 States to its alliance with South Korea for the bet11 terment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Pe12 ninsula; and 

13 (4) calls on the Government of North Korea to 

14 abide by international law and cease its nuclear 

15 weapons program and denuclearize completely in 

16 order to resume talks that could eventually lead to 

17 peace and reunification. 

Æ 


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