IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 152 

Calling for a formal end of the Korean war. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 

Mr. KHANNA (for himself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. POCAN, Ms. LEE of California, 

Ms. HAALAND, Ms. OMAR, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 

SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. RUSH, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. 

GABBARD, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. KIM, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. MOORE, and Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for a formal end of the Korean war. 

Whereas the Korean war remains one of the world’s longest 

ongoing armed conflicts, in which the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the Republic of 

Korea (South Korea), the United States, and 20 other 

nations have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties 

and losses, and millions of civilians killed and wounded; 

Whereas, on June 25, 1950, the armed forces of North Korea 

attacked South Korea, an action which the United Nations Security Council determined constituted a breach of 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•HRES 152 IH 

the peace under chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, after which the United States militarily intervened in 

the conflict in defense of South Korea; 

Whereas, on July 27, 1953, the commander in chief of the 

United Nations Command signed an Armistice Agreement with the supreme commander of the North Korean 

People’s Army and the commander of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, aiming, by its terms, to ‘‘insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force 

in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved’’; 

Whereas the Armistice Agreement, by its terms, neither formally ended the war nor represented a final peaceful settlement; 

Whereas the persistence of a state of war represents a constant risk and threat to the national security of the 

United States and its allies; 

Whereas in Article III of the Mutual Defense Treaty between 

the United States of America and the Republic of Korea, 

signed at Washington on October 1, 1953, and still in 

force today, the United States recognized that an armed 

attack on South Korea would be dangerous to the peace 

and safety of the United States, and declared that the 

United States would act in accordance with its constitutional principles to meet the common danger of such an 

armed attack; 

Whereas unprovoked military action against North Korea 

would pose extraordinary risks to the United States, 

United States troops and citizens in the region, United 

States allies, and security in Northeast Asia and would 

require explicit authorization by Congress under article I 

of the United States Constitution; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•HRES 152 IH 

Whereas, on April 27, 2018, in Panmunjom, the leaders of 

South Korea and North Korea ‘‘solemnly declared’’ that 

‘‘there will be no more war and a new era of peace has 

begun on the Korean peninsula’’, and committed ‘‘to declare the end of war’’ on the Korean peninsula 65 years 

after the signing of the Armistice Agreement, and further 

committing to actively promote meetings involving the 

United States ‘‘with a view to replacing the Armistice 

Agreement with a peace agreement and establishing a 

permanent and solid peace regime’’; 

Whereas, on June 12, 2018, in Singapore, the leaders of the 

United States and North Korea committed ‘‘to establish 

new relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples 

of the two countries for peace and prosperity’’; 

Whereas, on September 25, 2018, President of South Korea 

Moon Jae-in publicly affirmed that it is ‘‘simply not 

true’’ that an end-of-war declaration would affect the status of the United Nations Command or of United States 

Forces in Korea, and further stated that the stationing 

of United States Forces in Korea ‘‘is simply a matter for 

the ROK–U.S. alliance to decide regardless of a declaration to end the Korean war or the signing of a peace 

treaty’’; 

Whereas the failure to come to a final peace settlement on 

the Korean peninsula has exerted long-term negative 

pressures on human rights and humanitarian conditions, 

such as the restriction of civil liberties and redirection of 

national resources to defense and excessive military 

spending rather than to the livelihoods of Americans and 

the Korean peoples; 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has determined 

that the ongoing nuclear- and ballistic-missile-related acVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 Feb 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR152.IH HR152

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•HRES 152 IH 

tivities of North Korea continue to pose a threat to international peace and security; 

Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons (NPT) remains a cornerstone of the nuclear 

nonproliferation regime and the United States has a duty 

to seek universal adherence to and compliance with the 

NPT; 

Whereas an end to the state of war would not legally imply 

recognition of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, 

as the only states that can be recognized as such under 

the NPT are those which have ‘‘manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device 

prior to January 1, 1967’’; and 

Whereas Special Representative for North Korea Stephen 

Biegun stated on January 31, 2019, that ‘‘the Trump 

administration is ready to end this war’’, that ‘‘We are 

not going to invade North Korea’’, and that ‘‘We are not 

seeking to topple the North Korean regime’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) pays tribute to the sacrifices of the veterans 

3 of the Korean war, its victims, and the families di4 vided since the initial outbreak of war; 

5 (2) calls for continued cooperative efforts to re6 patriate the remains of service members; 

7 (3) calls for reunions of divided Korean and 

8 Korean-American families, people-to-people ex9 changes, and continued humanitarian cooperation; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•HRES 152 IH 

1 (4) affirms that neither a declaration regarding 

2 the end of the Korean war nor a final peaceful set3 tlement by itself would have any legal effect on the 

4 commitments set forth in the 1953 Mutual Defense 

5 Treaty between the United States of America and 

6 the Republic of Korea, which by its terms is set to 

7 ‘‘remain in force indefinitely’’ and which requires the 

8 United States to respond immediately and firmly to 

9 the common danger that any armed attack on South 

10 Korea would pose to both countries; 

11 (5) affirms its strong agreement with the state12 ment of the President of South Korea Moon Jae-in 

13 that questions about the stationing of United States 

14 Armed Forces in South Korea is ultimately a matter 

15 for the United States and South Korea to decide to16 gether regardless of whether a declaration to end the 

17 Korean war or any final peaceful settlement is 

18 achieved; 

19 (6) affirms that the United States does not 

20 seek armed conflict with North Korea; 

21 (7) would welcome a statement by President 

22 Trump, in coordination with South Korea, declaring 

23 the end of the state of war with North Korea; 

24 (8) supports ongoing diplomatic engagement 

25 among the United States, South Korea, and North 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•HRES 152 IH 

1 Korea to address the ongoing nuclear- and ballistic2 missile-related activities of North Korea; 

3 (9) calls for the conclusion of a binding peace 

4 agreement constituting a formal and final end to the 

5 state of war between North Korea, South Korea, 

6 and the United States, and calls for serious, urgent 

7 diplomatic engagement in pursuit of that goal; 

8 (10) affirms the vital role that women and 

9 other marginalized groups who would be particularly 

10 vulnerable to any resumption of active hostilities 

11 must play in building a lasting, sustainable, and 

12 peaceful settlement, and calls on all parties to take 

13 greater steps to include women and civil society in 

14 ongoing discussions, as outlined in the Women, 

15 Peace, and Security Act of 2017; 

16 (11) affirms that the denuclearization of the 

17 Korean peninsula and a final peaceful settlement 

18 cannot be achieved absent meaningful, reciprocal ac19 tions and confidence-building measures among all 

20 parties; and 

21 (12) calls upon the President and Secretary of 

22 State, or their designees, to detail for Congress and 

23 the American people a clear roadmap for achieving 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•HRES 152 IH 

1 a permanent peace regime and the peaceful 

2 denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS