Affirming the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Affirming the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea share an alliance based on the shared principles of democracy, human rights, and free markets;

Whereas the partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea is bound by shared interests and cemented by a commitment to maintaining democratic institutions;

Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea work closely together to promote international peace and security, economic prosperity, and the rule of law;

Whereas the relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea goes as far back as Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, when the United States and Korea established diplomatic relations under the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation;

Whereas, on August 15, 1948, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, established on April 11, 1919, was dissolved and transitioned to the First Republic of Korea, the first independent government;

Whereas United States military personnel have maintained a continuous presence on the Korean Peninsula since the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea was signed at Washington on October 1, 1953;

Whereas the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States and the Republic of Korea, with Protocol (8 UST 2217) was signed in Seoul on November 28, 1956;

Whereas the year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Korean liberation from colonial rule;

Whereas the bilateral relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea is one of the world’s most consequential security and economic alliances;

Whereas the bilateral relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea promotes a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific;

Whereas the Republic of Korea is one of the fastest growing sources of foreign direct investment in the United States;

Whereas, in 2023, the Republic of Korea was the United States seventh-largest trading partner;

Whereas United States goods and services exports to the Republic of Korea totaled $91,300,000,000 in 2023, and imports totaled $132,000,000,000;

Whereas, in 2023, the stock of the Republic of Korea’s foreign direct investment in the United States was $76,700,000,000, and United States foreign direct investment to the Republic of Korea was $35,600,000,000;

Whereas over 88,000 workers in the United States were employed by Republic of Korea multinational firms in 2021;

Whereas, on January 13, 1903, 102 pioneer Korean immigrants arrived in the United States, initiating the first chapter of Korean immigration to America;

Whereas the over 2,000,000 Korean Americans living in the United States contribute to the diversity and prosperity of the Nation, participate in all facets of American life, and have made significant contributions to the economic vitality of the United States;

Whereas members of the Korean-American community serve with distinction in the United States Armed Forces;

Whereas Korean Americans continue to build and strengthen the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea;

Whereas the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (Public Law 115–409), signed into law on December 31, 2018, states that the United States Government—

(1) is committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea and all related and subsequent bilateral security agreements and arrangements concluded on or before the date of enactment of that Act;

(2) recognizes the vital role of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea in promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region; and

(3) calls for the strengthening and broadening of diplomatic, economic, and security ties between the United States and the Republic of Korea; and

Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea launched the Nuclear Consultative Group in 2023 to discuss how to plan for nuclear contingencies and cooperate on the Alliance’s approach to nuclear deterrence, thereby strengthening security in the Indo-Pacific: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) reaffirms the importance of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance;

(2) highlights the importance of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance to security in the Indo-Pacific;

(3) underscores the need to continue strengthening security, economic, and cultural ties;

(4) celebrates the important contributions of Korean Americans to American society; and

(5) supports the goals of Korean Culture-Kimchi Day.