16 June 2000
Text: Representative Tony Hall June 15 Remarks on Korean Summit
(Calls for lifting of economic sanctions against North Korea) (1070) Representative Tony Hall (Democrat of Ohio) said in an extension of remarks in the House of Representatives June 15 that South Korean President Kim Dae Jung should be generous in providing food and medicine to North Korea. Hall, who has visited North Korea to assess the famine situation there over the past few years, also urged North Korea's Chairman Kim Jong Il to help families separated by the Korean War to reunite. "I hope that President Kim will be generous in providing the tangible necessities -- food, fertilizer, medicines -- that will help so many people in the north," Hall said. He added that he hopes "that Chairman Kim will continue to demonstrate courage and confidence in helping separated families reunite" and "that Chairman Kim will take the military steps needed to reassure Koreans living in the south, and U.S. troops stationed along the border, that the years ahead will be peaceful ones." The United States, Hall said, "has an important role to play in supporting this extraordinary peace initiative." Hall then called for the lifting of economic sanctions against North Korea. "I hope the United States will continue to respond generously to the United Nations' relief efforts, and that we will expand our relationship with North Korea's people in other ways," he said. Following is the text: (begin text) KOREAN SUMMITT -- HON. TONY P. HALL (Extension of Remarks - June 15, 2000) HON. TONY P. HALL in the House of Representatives THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2000 Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the historic occasion of the summit between President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea, and Chairman Kim Jong Il of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Much has been written about this unprecedented meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas; what has happened has encouraged not only Korean people, but those of us who are concerned about human rights and humanitarian matters as well. And I hope the course these leaders chart in the months ahead will be a model for other former adversaries to follow. A reconciliation like the one that has now begun in Pyongyang holds great promise for expanding freedom and prosperity for Korean people on both sides of their border. That is something that Koreans have longed for; it is also something that many Americans are eager to see--especially the hundreds of thousands of Korean-Americans who have enriched the communities of our Nation, and the tens of thousands of active-duty military men and women, and their families. I first met President Kim when he was living in exile in the United States. Together with many of our colleagues and former colleagues, I tried to help him with the work he was doing to promote human rights for his people. While I have not met Chairman Kim, I have worked with his people on the humanitarian projects that have been an important focus for the DPRK in recent years. So I have a special appreciation for Koreans' and Korean-Americans' sense that this moment is a moving one. Still, I don't think any outsider can understand how Korean people feel this week. It's hard to imagine how much those in the north and the south have suffered--from food shortages in the north, human-rights concerns in the south, and for both the pain of being torn from their families and their countrymen. I hope that President Kim will be generous in providing the tangible necessities -- food, fertilizer, medicines -- that will help so many people in the north. I hope that Chairman Kim will continue to demonstrate courage and confidence in helping separated families reunite. As an American, I also hope that Chairman Kim will take the military steps needed to reassure Koreans living in the south, and U.S. troops stationed along the border, that the years ahead will be peaceful ones. As important as the specific steps that have come out of this summit are, though, the most important long-term result will be this first step toward healing this divided nation. Mr. Speaker, the United States has an important role to play in supporting this extraordinary peace initiative. I strongly believe we should lift economic sanctions against North Korea, as President Clinton promised to do nine months ago. I think we should accept Koreans' leadership in the decisions we make together as long-time allies. And I hope the United States will continue to respond generously to the United Nations' relief efforts, and that we will expand our relationship with North Korea's people in other ways. I have visited many places where people are hurting. One thing I have learned is that -- no matter where they live -- people who survive terrible hardships have one thing in common: they remember who helped them through their difficulties, and they cannot forget who found excuses to let their friends and families die. I have been especially proud of our country in refusing to let the political differences we have with North Korea prevent us from upholding our humanitarian tradition of responding generously to the people in need there. Now, with this summit, Koreans in the south have demonstrated to their brothers that they are not going to stand by and let them suffer. I hope the past three days will create the goodwill the leaders of these nations need to improve the lives of their people over time -- and to ease the serious suffering of Koreans in the north immediately. Both North Korea and South Korea have made tremendous progress in a very short time. It is easy to forget the economic strides South Korea has made in the past 30 years, and the diplomatic achievements North Korea has made as it re-orients its economy away from its longstanding alliances and toward a future that is marked by better relations with other nations. The work ahead will not be easy, but Koreans I know are some of the toughest, hardest-working people I have ever met. I am confident that, if they set themselves to this work, they will accomplish it. And I hope that our country will contribute to their success. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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