Letter to Hon. Joe Biden, President of the United States, and Hon. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State - Sherman, Colleagues Send Letter to Biden Administration Urging the Pursuit of Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Dear President Biden and Secretary Blinken:

We write to you with a deep sense of concern over continued tensions in the Korean
Peninsula.

We wish to highlight the importance of the United States continuing its efforts to facilitate
peace between South Korea and North Korea and bring about democracy for all residents of the
Korean Peninsula. We applaud the Biden Administration's support for the Singapore framework,
which identifies peace on the Korean peninsula as an objective of any future negotiations between the United States and North Korea. As cosponsors of H.R. 3446, the Peace on the
Korean Peninsula Act, we recognize that the time for pursuing a diplomatic solution to tensions
between North and South Korea is long overdue.

This September, South Korean President Moon Jae-in renewed his call for a mutual
declaration ending the 1950 state of "var between North and South Korea - a critical step towards
peace. Despite this period of conflict ending many decades ago in 1953, a peace treaty was never
officially signed.

An official end to the state of war between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States
is not a concession to North Korea. Rather, it is a vital step towards peace that serves the national
interest of the United States and our allies alike. To that end, we urge the Administration and the
Secretary of State to prioritize active diplomatic engagement with North Korea and South Korea
with the goal of a binding peace agreement constituting a formal and final end to the state of war
between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States.

While North Korea's nuclear weapons continue to pose a threat to peace and security around the world, a forever state of war does not resolve this issue nor does it serve the national
interest of the United States and our allies. If anything, the state of war makes progress on the
nuclear issue more difficult. We urge you to continue and expand the Administration's efforts to
facilitate peace on the Korean Peninsula for the sake of all of its residents, including the relatives
of nearly 2 million U.S. citizens of Korean descent.

We look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,