[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 12TH ROUND OF INTER-KOREAN FAMILY REUNIONS NOVEMBER 5-
                                10, 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2005

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, since the landmark Joint Declaration was 
signed during the inter-Korean summit that took place on June 15, 2000, 
11 rounds of family reunions between South and North Korea have taken 
place. Over these 5 years, more than 10,000 people have been given the 
chance to do something they have not done in over 50 years--and that is 
to once again feel the warm embrace of their family. This past 
Saturday, November 5, 2005, a 12th reunion began at North Korea's Mount 
Kumgang Resort and will last through today, November 10, 2005.
  And so Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize this historic event, as 
these incredibly emotional and heart-warming reunions underscore the 
unimaginable pain experienced by families forced apart in 1950 at the 
outbreak of the Korean War. A renewed sense of urgency surrounds these 
reunions as divided family members are well into their senior years; 
many of whom have already passed away and were never afforded the 
opportunity to do that which so many of us are blessed to do daily: 
converse face to face with a daughter or brother or mother or father.
  Great strides have been taken to expand the breadth and depth of 
these reunifications to allow for greater participation. In addition to 
the face to face meetings, South Korea has incorporated live television 
and video feeds for those family members who cannot make the trip to 
Mount Kumgang. South Korea has also committed to hold family reunions 
on a regular basis and institutionalize both the exchange of letters 
and the process of confirming the fates and whereabouts of separated 
family members. Already, the status of some 20,000 individuals--living 
and deceased--have been confirmed. Furthermore, South Korea is 
currently constructing a family reunion center that will serve as the 
permanent location for hosting future reunions.
  A seldom-cited fact is that there are more than 10 million separated 
family members--a staggering one quarter of the nation's population--
currently in South Korea. In addition, there are more than 500,000 
Korean Americans here in our own country who also share the pain of 
having separated family members in North Korea.
  The South Korean government has held talks with North Korea on the 
topic of including Koreans from all over the world in the reunification 
efforts. As a result of the second and third round of ministerial 
meetings that were held in 2000 between the two Koreas, 115 Koreans 
living overseas, including 84 Korean Americans, have been afforded the 
opportunity to see and be with their separated family members.
  The South Korean government has stated that it will make all efforts 
possible to continue to create greater opportunities for Koreans living 
abroad to meet their divided family members. So far, about 1,000 
Koreans living overseas have applied to participate in the reunions, 
600 of whom live right here in the United States.
  For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize and pay tribute 
to the 12th round of inter-Korean family reunions. Perhaps it is also 
fitting for all of us here in this body to take a moment to reflect on 
the importance of family, recognizing that the time we spend with them 
is so precious and must never be taken for granted. I also wish to 
express my personal appreciation and commend the government and people 
of South Korea for all they have done to institutionalize these 
important reunions and encourage them to continue their full commitment 
to family reunification.

                          ____________________