Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of H.R. 826, the Divided Families Reunification Act, a bill I authored to raise the voices of families who have been separated for decades both across the DMZ and across the Pacific Ocean. I want to thank Chairman Meeks for working with me on this important issue, and for his efforts to bring this bill to the floor. I also want to thank Congressman Van Taylor who partnered with me to introduce this humane and commonsense legislation, which, during the 116th Congress, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. Over seventy years ago, millions of Koreans were plunged into a harrowing war that brought misery, death, and destruction to their lives. Since then, the war has been frozen by an armistice agreement, signed on July 27, 1953, that persists to today. The division of the Korean Peninsula into South and North Korea separated millions of Koreans from their family members. Through the years, there have been some agreed upon reunions between South and North Koreans. For Korean Americans, however, there is no pathway for such reunions, as they have not been permitted to participate in these inter-Korean family reunions. Many of these Americans are in their 70s through 90s, and time is of the essence to be reunited with their families. I have had the honor to meet some of these divided Korean American family members, and it breaks my heart that their chance of a reunion with their loved ones grows less likely each day.…”