[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF THE YEAR OF THE KOREAN WAR VETERAN RESOLUTION, H. CON. 
                                RES. 212

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 212, the 
Year of the Korean War Veteran resolution, and I commend its sponsor, 
my colleague, Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas.
  The resolution marks the final year of the United States' 50th 
anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration and the 50th year of the 
Armistice.
  We celebrate the Armistice which ended the War, but we do so with the 
knowledge that no formal peace treaty was ever signed, and that only a 
fragile peace has endured across the tense demilitarized zone dividing 
North and South. The conflict, so aptly called ``the Forgotten War, 
took 54,000 American lives. Another 103,000 Americans were wounded, 
5,000 were missing in action, and 7,000 were held as prisoners of war. 
The sacrifices of America's fighting men and women transformed Korea 
into a thriving economic partner of the U.S. and a powerful front-line 
democracy against the tyranny of communism.
  Fifty years after the end of hostilities, the guns across the border 
are still silent, but the region and the world are increasingly fearful 
of the possibility of a new war on the peninsula. With the announcement 
of its nuclear capability by the government in the North, not only the 
U.S., but our friends in the region--Japan, China, Russia, and 
particularly South Korea, are now searching for ways to diffuse an 
impending crisis.
  North Korea's intentions are not entirely understood, but the 
country's militancy are clearly worsened by its poverty and isolation. 
The situation requires a skillful hand in dealing with a government 
that sometimes seems motivated by desperation.
  I encourage President Bush to work with our allies in the region in 
pursuing negotiations and a peaceful resolution of a growing crisis. 
Threats and intimidation will not succeed in our dealings with North 
Korea.

                          ____________________