[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 318 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 318

 Recognizing the importance of the 70th anniversary of the signing of 
the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of 
                       Korea on October 1, 1953.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 24, 2023

 Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Meeks, Mrs. Kim of California, 
Mr. Bera, Mrs. Steel, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, Mr. Carter of Georgia, and 
Ms. Strickland) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the importance of the 70th anniversary of the signing of 
the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of 
                       Korea on October 1, 1953.

Whereas, on October 1, 1953, the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States 
        and the Republic of Korea (5 U.S.T. 2368) was signed in Washington, to 
        which the Senate provided its advice and consent to ratification on 
        January 26, 1954;
Whereas the shared commitment to recognize an armed attack on either of the 
        parties as dangerous to the peace and security of the other and to ``act 
        to meet the common danger in accordance with [each's] constitutional 
        processes'' remains in place today;
Whereas the United States and Korea established diplomatic relations on May 22, 
        1882, with the signing of the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and 
        Navigation, and reestablished its diplomatic relationship with the 
        ``Republic of Korea'' on March 25, 1949;
Whereas, in 2023, the United States-Republic of Korea alliance marks 70 years 
        since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean war and the signing of 
        the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953, which remains in place today 
        and that by its terms has neither formally ended the Korean war nor 
        constituted a permanent settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula;
Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance is the linchpin of peace, 
        security, and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific 
        region and is essential to confronting the threat posed by the 
        Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance is rooted in mutual trust, 
        shared sacrifice, common values, economic interests, and generations of 
        people-to-people ties that provide a foundation for one of the 
        strongest, most interoperable, and enduring bilateral alliances in the 
        world;
Whereas the United States assures its ironclad security commitment to the 
        Republic of Korea, including the United States extended deterrent 
        underpinned by the full range of United States capabilities;
Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance was forged in shared 
        sacrifice, with 1,789,000 United States soldiers, sailors, airmen, and 
        marines serving during the Korean war, of whom 36,574 paid the ultimate 
        sacrifice with their lives in defense of the Republic of Korea, 
        including 7,174 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army soldiers, 
        and over 7,500 members of the United States Armed Forces remain 
        classified by the Department of Defense as missing in action;
Whereas casualties of the Republic of Korea were more than 217,000 soldiers 
        killed, more than 291,000 wounded, and over 1,000,000 civilians killed 
        or missing;
Whereas the Republic of Korea has since its founding become a thriving democracy 
        with a vibrant press and commitment to the rule of law and a free market 
        economy;
Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting met on 
        November 3, 2022, in the District of Columbia and ``shared their common 
        understanding that the U.S.-ROK Alliance is based on the same principles 
        and shared values including: mutual trust, freedom, democracy, human 
        rights, and the rule of law'';
Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea are committed to pursuing 
        closely coordinated diplomatic efforts through a shared strategy to 
        achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of 
        North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula;
Whereas the Republic of Korea's 2022 Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and 
        Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region emphasizes its desire to be a global 
        pivotal state that commits ``to working with other key nations both 
        within and beyond the region to foster a free and peaceful region . . . 
        while strengthening the rules-based international order'';
Whereas President Yoon Suk Yeol took the courageous and bold step of announcing 
        that the Government of the Republic of Korea would compensate Korean 
        victims of Japanese wartime labor in order to facilitate the resolution 
        of an issue that has hampered cooperation with Japan;
Whereas a robust and effective trilateral relationship between and among the 
        United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan is critical for joint 
        security and interests in defending freedom and democracy, upholding 
        human rights, promoting peace, security, and the rule of law in the 
        Indo-Pacific and across the globe, championing women's empowerment, and 
        combating and adapting to complex environmental challenges;
Whereas the American and Korean people share deeply rooted values of defending 
        freedom, championing economic and social opportunity and inclusion, 
        upholding human rights, and respecting the rule of law;
Whereas, the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan have held a series of 
        trilateral meetings, including a trilateral leaders' summit on November 
        13, 2022, a Foreign Ministers' meeting on September 23, 2022, and a vice 
        ministerial meeting on February 13, 2023, at which the three countries 
        committed to continuing trilateral exercises on ballistic missile 
        defense and antisubmarine warfare, and further determined to explore new 
        areas of security cooperation, including sharing Democratic People's 
        Republic of Korea missile warning data in real time;
Whereas the Republic of Korea is the United States sixth largest goods trading 
        partner with $162,900,000,000 in total (two-way) goods trade and 
        $31,500,000,000 in total services trade for a combined $194,400,000,000 
        during 2021;
Whereas the Republic of Korea is one of the United States top sources of foreign 
        direct investment, which totaled $110,600,000,000 in 2021 and, according 
        to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Republic of Korea multinational 
        enterprises in the United States employed almost 84,000 employees in 
        2020;
Whereas United States-Republic of Korea economic partnership based on the 
        principle of joint prosperity was strengthened in 2012 with the signing 
        of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement;
Whereas, on May 21, 2022, the United States and the Republic of Korea agreed to 
        leverage the comparative advantage shared between the United States and 
        the Republic of Korea ``to enhance public and private cooperation to 
        protect and promote critical and emerging technologies, including 
        leading-edge semiconductors, ecofriendly EV batteries, Artificial 
        Intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and 
        autonomous robotics'';
Whereas the strength of the United States-Republic of Korea relationship is due 
        in large part to the approximately 2,500,000 Korean Americans that have 
        made significant contributions to every facet of American society and 
        leadership to now include 4 Members of the House of Representatives, 
        Andy Kim of New Jersey, Young Kim of California, Marilyn Strickland of 
        Washington, and Michelle Steel of California; and
Whereas, in April 2023, President Moon Yoon Suk Yeol will visit the United 
        States at the invitation of President Joe Biden: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol to the United States 
        and urges both sides to use the occasion of this state visit to 
        further deepen the close security, economic, and people-to-
        people ties between the United States and the Republic of 
        Korea;
            (2) reaffirms the importance of the United States-Republic 
        of Korea relationship as the linchpin to safeguarding peace, 
        security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and as a 
        critical component of peace in the Indo-Pacific region;
            (3) reaffirms the United States extended deterrence 
        commitments to the Republic of Korea, and that the United 
        States will continue to ensure that its policy and posture 
        reflects the requirements of extended deterrence;
            (4) supports ongoing efforts to further strengthen, 
        broaden, and deepen the ironclad United States-Republic of 
        Korea alliance, including the United States-Republic of Korea 
        Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2), the Security 
        Consultative Meeting, and the Extended Deterrence Strategy and 
        Consultation Group (2+2) to confront threats to the peace and 
        safety of both nations, and to stand together for the common 
        values and shared interests that unite us;
            (5) calls for continued cooperation between the Governments 
        of the United States and the Republic of Korea in the promotion 
        of human rights;
            (6) supports the Republic of Korea's engagement in regional 
        diplomacy, including the launching of the ROK-ASEAN Solidarity 
        Initiative, participation in the Minerals Security Partnership, 
        joining of the Partners in the Blue Pacific, and its hosting of 
        a summit with Pacific Island nations;
            (7) endorses further Republic of Korea engagement with the 
        Quad initiatives, particularly in the Quad Climate Working 
        Group that works to strengthen implementation of the Paris 
        Agreement and to cooperate on climate mitigation, adaptation, 
        resilience, technology, capacity building, and finance;
            (8) calls for close coordination to achieve the 
        denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 
        and the establishment of a permanent and lasting peace on the 
        Korean Peninsula;
            (9) encourages close cooperation among the United States, 
        the Republic of Korea, and Japan to address shared challenges; 
        and
            (10) recognizes the deep partnership forged over 70 years 
        since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty that has 
        provided security for both countries, established a durable 
        trust, undergirded the rules-based-order in the Indo-Pacific, 
        and demonstrated the benefits of robust democracies on both 
        sides of the Pacific.
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