[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 41 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        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;

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 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.