Official statement from Morse H. Tan, Liberty University Dean and former U.S. Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice regarding H.R.1369
In March of this year, a previously failed bill returned to the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA) sponsored H.R.1369, otherwise known as the “Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act.” Though its name claims an objective that is undoubtedly admirable, the Act invites the opposite. Instead of effectuating peace, this bill poses a threat to stability in Korea and endangers South Korea and the United States.
H.R.1369 unilaterally calls for a formal end to the Korean War. Serious diplomacy would proceed forward better without it. North Korea wants to eliminate the UN Command in South Korea and the U.S. military deterrent in and around South Korea by saying there is no further need for them because of this peace declaration. The U.S. military deterrent is the single biggest reason that North Korea has not resumed its full-blown war against South Korea.
Representative Sherman previously sponsored a nearly identical bill, H.R.3446 in 2021, but it received little serious consideration. No member of Congress should support this bill, which would weaken the position of South Korea and the United States and embolden North Korea.
As the great patriot Patrick Henry once stated, some “may cry ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” H.R.1369’s call for peace is a hollow one considering the ongoing tensions produced by North Korea. It is true that the Korean War saw no formal end or peace treaty—only a cease-fire armistice—but relations in Korea will not simply become peaceful as the result of a Congressional declaration. North Korea has demonstrated no interest in peace, formal or otherwise. It has broken the armistice agreement many times and has not sought lasting resolution to the Korean conflict. Far from any true peace agreement, H.R.1369 represents a unilateral action with no reciprocal concessions or efforts toward peace. On the contrary, it invites North Korean aggression.
Beyond its disinterest in peace, North Korea has committed severe crimes against humanity, such as through its concentration camps, as well as genocide against Christians. It is the worst persecutor of Christians in the whole world. It continues to scheme against South Korea, the United States, and the rest of the world, seeking to manipulate their leaders and weaken opposition to North Korea’s agenda to take over the Korean peninsula by force. Responsibility for these actions is a prerequisite to true peace, but rather than holding North Korea to account, H.R.1369 signals a posture of weakness that would increase the odds of a renewed North Korean invasion.
Supporters of the bill have called their opponents “warmongers,” but nothing could be further from the truth. It is this bill that threatens greater conflict by needlessly ceding diplomatic ground to North Korea. I strenuously urge Congress to reject H.R.1369 and commit itself to genuine efforts to pursue justice and hold North Korea accountable, which would promote a real and deeper peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
