H. Con. Res. 41 Agreed to August 1, 2013

One Hundred Thirteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and thirteen 

Concurrent Resolution 

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, 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; 

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 attacked the 

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

Whereas, during the Korean War, more than 36,000 members of 

the United States Armed Forces were killed and approximately 

1,789,000 members of the United States Armed Forces served 

in-theater 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 North Korea’s human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, and hostility to South Korea remain significant obstacles 

to peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula; 
H. Con. Res. 41—2 

Whereas North Korea’s economic policies have led to extreme economic privation for its citizens, whose quality of life ranks among 

the world’s lowest; 

Whereas North Korea’s proliferation of nuclear and missile technology threatens international peace and stability; 

Whereas North Korea has systematically violated numerous International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations Security 

Council Resolutions with respect to its nuclear weapons and 

ballistic missile programs; 

Whereas the refusal of the Government of North Korea to 

denuclearize disrupts peace and security on the Korean Peninsula; 

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-to-shoulder 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 

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress— 

(1) recognizes the historical importance of the Korean War, 

which began on June 25, 1950; 

(2) honors the noble service and sacrifice of members of 

the United States Armed Forces and the armed forces of allied 

countries that have served in Korea since 1950; 

(3) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its 

alliance with South Korea for the betterment of peace and 

prosperity on the Korean Peninsula; and 

(4) calls on North Korea to respect the fundamental human 

rights of its citizens, abandon and dismantle its nuclear 
H. Con. Res. 41—3 

weapons program, and end its nuclear and missile proliferation 

as integral steps toward peace and eventual reunification. 

Attest: 

Clerk of the House of Representatives. 

Attest: 

Secretary of the Senate.