WHEREAS, June 15, 2005, has been designated to celebrate Korean Peninsula Peace Day; and
     WHEREAS, Korean-Americans, like waves of immigrants to the United States before them, have taken root and thrived in the United States through strong family ties, robust community support, and countless hours of hard work; and
     WHEREAS, The over 100,000 Korean-Americans living in Washington State, most of whom are United States citizens, have made substantial contributions to their community and have invigorated business, church, and academic interests in the United States; and
     WHEREAS, Members of the early Korean-American community served with distinction in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War; and
     WHEREAS, On June 25, 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea with approximately 135,000 troops, thereby initiating the involvement of approximately 5,720,000 personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Korean Conflict to defeat the spread of communism in Korea and throughout the world; and
     WHEREAS, Casualties in the United States Armed Forces during the Korean Conflict included 54,260 dead (of whom 33,665 were battle deaths), 92,134 wounded, and 8,176 listed as missing in action or prisoners of war; and
     WHEREAS, Korea is Washington's fourth largest trading partner, and our state exported over 3.6 billion dollars in goods to Korea in 2001; and
     WHEREAS, Korean-Americans own and operate approximately 3500 businesses in Washington that have gross sales and receipts of 1.5 billion dollars annually, pay 180 million dollars in taxes per year, and employ approximately 10,000 Washingtonians; and
     WHEREAS, The State of Washington has and continues to benefit tremendously from the contributions of Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans; and
     WHEREAS, The Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification Seattle Chapter has worked indefatigably for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula; and
     WHEREAS, The Korean-American community maintains close ties with Korea and, at the same time, continues to establish and strengthen their relationships to the United States; and
     WHEREAS, On June 15, 2000, the leaders of North and South Korea reached an agreement to improve economic and familial ties in an effort to build trust between the two countries;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the state of Washington recognize and express its appreciation for the numerous outstanding achievements and contributions Korean-Americans have made which have enriched communities throughout Washington state, and around the country, and encourage citizens and organizations throughout Washington to join the celebration of Korean Peninsula Peace Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.