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Mrs. KIM. Mr. Speaker, it is such an honor to stand here to strongly support H. Con. Res. 58.
As a Korean American who grew up in the aftermath of the Korean war, I have witnessed the horrors of socialism firsthand. I always say, if you want to see the difference between socialism and freedom, just look at the Korean Peninsula at night. South Korea shines with opportunity. North Korea is trapped in darkness.
Time and time again throughout history, socialism has led to disaster, starvation, imprisonment, and the death of over 100 million people worldwide.
My own family lived those horrors. My mother-in-law risked her life crossing the DMZ lines multiple times to rescue loved ones from the North Korean regime. To this day, tens of thousands of Korean families remain separated by a system that tears apart communities and crushes basic human dignity.
Now more than ever, as socialist ideas gain traction here at home-- and as our Nation's largest city and financial capital has elected not just a socialist, but a communist as mayor--we must firmly demand our capitalist free market system, which empowers Americans of all backgrounds to achieve freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.
I know what America represents because I remember my first glimpse of freedom as a young girl, looking up, wide-eyed, as U.S. soldiers tossed candy from their trucks in the community where I lived. Today, as one of the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress, that freedom tastes just as sweet.
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Mrs. KIM. Mr. Speaker, stories like these can only happen in America. As a Member of Congress, I will always fight for the American Dream and for our free market system that keeps it within reach for everyday Americans.
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