19 Democrats call for end of Korean War

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- As President Donald Trump prepares for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam, House Democrats are calling for an official end to the Korean War.

Backed by 19 Democratic members of Congress, the resolution introduced Tuesday urges the Trump administration to "provide a clear roadmap to achieve a final peace settlement."

It also calls for greater efforts to be put forth to repatriate the remains of service members who died during the Korean War and to facilitate reunions between Korean families divided by the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries as well as for women to play a greater part in the peace process.

"Historic engagement between South and North Korea has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to formally end this war," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and one of the congressman backers of the bill. "President Trump must not squander this rare chance for peace. He should work hand in hand with our ally, South Korean President Moon Jae In, to bring the war to a close and advance toward the denuclearization of the peninsula."

The resolution clarifies that ending the 68-year war does not mean the withdrawal of the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea or the acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear power, two important international security issues.

Former president and Noble Peace Laureate Jimmy Carter said he backs the bill and will be sitting down with Khanna next week to discuss the issue of war on the Korean Peninsula, the congressman said in a press release.

"I commend this important resolution that will help bring this nearly 70-year conflict to a close," said President Carter in a statement. "I have visited North Korea several times to talk with their leadership and study the best path forward for peace. Ending the threat of war is the only way to ensure true security for both the Korean and American people and will create the conditions to alleviate the suffering of the ordinary North Koreans who are most harmed by ongoing tensions."

Shortly after the resolution was submitted, Trump tweeted criticism of the Democrats from Vietnam's capital of Hanoi, saying if they wanted to end the war it should have been achieved under President Obama.

"The Democrats should stop talking about what I should do with North Korea and ask themselves instead why they didn't do 'it' during eight years of the Obama Administration?" He said.

Trump is expected to speak with Kim about denuclearization and security issues among other topics during the two-day summit that starts Wednesday.

In its 68th year, the Korean War is technically ongoing as it ended only with an armistice agreement not a peace treaty in 1953.