[North Korean Refugee Adoption Act] Remembering the weakest

Mr. President, Congressmen, Americans, my name is Timothy Cho, and I am here to be the Voice for Freedom on behalf of the voiceless: the orphans of North Korea.   These vulnerable children are chronically subjected to physical abuse, starvation, poor health conditions, and the excruciating pain of loneliness. Many of their parents and relatives died from similar causes.  Only time keeps them from the same fate. The children who manage to cross the North Korean border into neighboring countries are still subject to the same dangers they faced in North Korea. If we do not take action to protect these children, these children will continue to languish in these conditions, with many inevitably dying preventable deaths.  I believe that the enactment of the North Korean Refugee Adoption Act will help bring hope to these children, who desperately need our help and compassion.  There are thousands of families in the United States who are willing to love and protect these vulnerable children.  We, the citizens of the great United States, should again demonstrate that we are a nation of hope, compassion, opportunity, and potential.  The KCC and I are speaking out, not just because we are of Korean descent, but because as members of the human society we demand action. I believe that it is the mark of a civilized society to remember the weakest among us. Please, let us act to help these orphans aspire to hope, step by step. Let us be the voice for the voiceless.