Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I too join the chairman and the ranking member in saluting the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). I remember him telling the story that he was a teenager at the outbreak of the war in Korea, living in Harlem, and didn't know where Korea was. He sure knows today. He is an iconic figure in the Korean community. Representative Rangel, we salute you for your incredible heroism. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 40 to encourage the reunion of divided Korean American families. The division of north and south along the 38th parallel offers one of the world's most striking dichotomies. Yet, on both sides of the demilitarized zone resides a shared pain. The pain is that of families ripped apart by the war and an enduring division of one people into two countries. Reunions are a welcome respite from that separation, but, in the end, they provide yet another reminder that family reunification on the Korean Peninsula is all too fleeting. Many of these Americans--more than 100,000 according to the last estimate--have been waiting to reunite with their family members in North Korea. Too many have already passed away without ever realizing that hope. This resolution encourages Pyongyang to allow those Korean Americans to meet with their families. It also calls on the North Korean regime to take steps to build goodwill that is conducive to peace in the peninsula.…”