On November 29, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res.40, a resolution that encourages North Korea to allow Korean Americans to meet with their family members separated by the Korean War. KCCD has been a longtime advocate for  building peace and unity on the Korean Peninsula and was involved in advocating for the passing of this resolution. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, both of which have been honored at KCCD's Lighting the Community Summits for their work within the Korean American community. 

Hyepin Im, KCCD President, stated, "We are grateful to Congressmember Charles Rangel and Congressmember Ed Royce for their leadership and commitment in helping to pass this resolution that recognizes that so many families  have been impacted by the war and need to reunite with their families before it is too late."

To read further regarding the resolution's passage, please see Rep. Charles Rangel and House of Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce press releases below.

Below are key excerpts (as prepared for delivery) from Chairman Royce’s remarks on the House floor prior to the vote:

“Sadly, Mr. Speaker, Korea remains a divided peninsula. There is a prosperous and free South Korea.  And a brutal, totalitarian and impoverished North Korea.  This division is a calamity that is acutely felt by South Korean families separated by the DMZ, but it is just as painful for many Korean American families.

In the decades since the momentous liberation of Korea, millions of Korean families have been separated from their loved ones. Today, an estimated 100,000 Korean Americans have been separated from their relatives in North Korea.  Many have long sought an opportunity to be reunited.

And Mr. Speaker, time is running out.  Earlier this year, the average Korean separated by the war was 80 years old.  A large number are over 90.  It is far past time that these war-torn families be given one last opportunity to reunite with family members they were separated from six decades ago.  It is everyone’s hope, of course, that the Korean Peninsula will be reunified.”

Washington, DC – Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) praised the passage of  H.Con.Res.40, a resolution that encourages North Korea to allow Korean Americans to meet with their family members from North Korea and calls on North Korea to take concrete steps to build goodwill that is conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Introduced by Rep. Rangel with House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), the bill passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, by a voice vote. 

“More than anything else, Congress is saying today that let the people God created of the same blood, same background, same culture – let them meet. Rangel said. “This resolution lays the foundation for divided family members to meet their loved ones whom they have not been able to see for over six decades,” I could never imagine being unable to see my brother or daughter for that length of time. These Americans have every right to see their loved ones and it is our duty to help them by encouraging reunions.”

Rangel first introduced this resolution as H.Con.Res.91 in February 2014. To further raise awareness on the issue, he hosted a screening of the documentary “The Divided Families Film” at the Capitol Visitors Center about Korean Americans' search for lost relatives in North Korea. 

The Korean War, which broke out on June 25, 1950, separated more than 10 million families, including some 100,000 Korean Americans. Since the first historic Korean summit in 2000, around 20 rounds of brief reunions between South and North Korean family members have taken place along the border.  Unfortunately, Korean Americans impacted by the war have never been provided the same opportunity and their numbers are declining significantly.

“Despite North Korea’s provocations, the United States must remain firmly committed to the humanitarian aspects of family reunions. I am pleased to see this resolution pass before I leave office. I would also like to thank my dear friend and colleague, Chairman Ed Royce, who championed this resolution with me, as well as Divided Families USA, Council of Korean Americans, Korean American Coalition, and KAAGNY among many Korean American organizations and leaders who advocated for its passage,” Rangel added.

The resolution will now go to the Senate for approval, where it has bipartisan support from Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Mark Warner (D-VA. Once passed, separated Korean American families will be one step closer to meeting their long-lost relatives in North Korea. H.Con.Res.40 is one of the final pieces of legislation sponsored by Rangel to pass the House during his 46-year career.

Watch the video of the floor remarks here:

REP RANGEL remarks: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4633272/rep-charles-rangel-reuniting-divided-families

REP ROYCE remarks: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4633275/chairman-royce-passage-hrescon40

Congressman Charles B. Rangel is a decorated Korean War veteran who earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army during the Battle of Kunu-ri, where he led a group of soldiers out of a deadly Chinese Army encirclement after being almost left for dead on November 30, 1950. The title of his autobiography, "And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since" refers to this day. Congressman Rangel, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1971, currently represents New York's 13th Congressional District, which includes Upper Manhattan and parts of The Bronx. In Congress, he has been a champion advocate for Korean War veterans and U.S.-Korea relations.

*Sponsored H.Con.Res.40 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Encouraging reunions of divided Korean American families (Passed House, November 2016)

*Sponsored H.CON.RES.41 -Encouraging peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula (Passed unanimously in House and Senate - August 1, 2013)
*Sponsored H.Res. 618 - Expressing support for designation of 2012-2013 as the "Year of the Korean War Veteran" (Passed 2012)
*Sponsored H. Res 376 - Calling for Repatriation of POW/MIAs and Abductees in North Korea (Passed unanimously by Congress in December 2011)
*Sponsored H.J.Res.86 - Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and Reaffirming U.S.-Korea Alliance (Passed in 2010)
*Sponsored H.R. 2632 - Korean War Veterans Recognition Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-41)
*Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee -- during the ratification of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (aka KORUS FTA) in 2007, and led its passage