On the recordJune 23, 2010
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. 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.
