Pennsylvania Members of Congress Call for a Formal End to the Korean War
November 25, 2019
Posted in: Press Releases
For immediate release
November 25, 2019
As talks between the US and North Korea remain deadlocked, three members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation — Representatives Dwight Evans, Madeleine Dean and Mary Gay Scanlon — have joined the growing chorus in Washington calling for a formal end to the Korean War as the best path toward peace.
House Resolution 152, which calls for a peace agreement to end the 70-year-old Korean War, was introduced by California Congressman Ro Khanna, New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim, and California Congresswoman Barbara Lee in February 2019 ahead of the US-North Korea summit in Singapore. The addition of the three new co-sponsors from Pennsylvania this month is the result of grassroots efforts by the Pennsylvania chapter of Korea Peace Now!—a global campaign with chapters across the United States advocating for a peace agreement to bring the 70-year old Korean War to a close. The resolution now has 41 co-sponsors in the House.
“As the resolution states, unprovoked military action against North Korea would pose extraordinary risks to the United States, United States troops and citizens in the region, United States allies, and security in Northeast Asia,” said Congressman Dwight Evans.
“When we have opportunities to formally end conflicts and move toward peace-building and reconciliation, that’s exactly what we should do. Nearly seven decades after the last battle, it’s time to end the Korean War,” said Congresswoman Madeleine Dean.
According to a recent poll conducted by Data for Progress and YouGov, 67 percent of US voters across political affiliations support negotiating a peace agreement with North Korea. The support is bipartisan—highest among Republicans (76%), followed by Independents/Others (64%) and Democrats (63%).
A similar call to formally end the Korean War unanimously passed the House in July 2019 as an amendment to the House version of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. “The Korean War is 70 years old and is the longest US conflict,” said Claire Yoo, co-chair of the Pennsylvania chapter of Korea Peace Now! “The lives of 80 million Koreans and 28,500 US troops on the Korean Peninsula are at stake. It’s time to end the Korean War, and I applaud Representatives Evans, Dean and Scanlon for taking a stand on the right side of history.”