[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 66 (Friday, May 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA'S ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 13, 2011

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, as co-Chair of the Congressional 
Caucus on Korea, I rise today to commend the Republic of Korea's pledge 
of an additional $500 million over 5 years in aid to Afghanistan. It is 
unfortunate that this tremendous contribution was not heralded by the 
international media because Seoul's commitment to aiding in the 
development and reconstruction in the war-torn nation is remarkable in 
several ways and deserves our recognition and gratitude.
  This latest $500 million is in addition to the $180 million Seoul has 
already contributed to Afghanistan. And, currently, there are about 90 
South Korean aid workers and police serving in Afghanistan secured by 
more than 200 Korean troops. This increased level of assistance will go 
a long way in supporting existing programs run by Korea's Provincial 
Reconstruction Team in the northern province of Parwan. Korea's 
Provincial Reconstruction Team will be able to enhance their work in 
the areas of education, health and medical service, rural development, 
improved governance and police training.
  Korea has been and continues to be one of the most reliable partners 
we have in Afghanistan. For example, from 2002 to 2007, Korea deployed 
military medics and engineers in Afghanistan; provided medical service 
to 260,000 people; and helped build the U.S. Bagram Air Field.
  What impresses me the most about Korea's fortitude and role in the 
international community is its tremendous progress over the last half 
century. Not so long ago South Korea was a recipient, rather than a 
donor, of Official Development Assistance, ODA. According to the 
Congressional Research Service, U.S. economic assistance to South Korea 
totaled $3.8 billion from 1945 to 1971. However, by the mid-1970s U.S. 
assistance began to shrink to zero. In 2009, South Korea became the 
first major recipient of Official Development Assistance to become a 
major donor of ODA. In just two years, 2008 and 2009, South Korea 
contributed economic aid of $1.7 billion to other countries, including 
Afghanistan.
  Through sound economic policies, a strong commitment to free 
enterprise, and a turn from autocratic to democratic governance, South 
Korea has become one of the world's fastest-growing, most resilient 
economies with an equally resilient and stable civil society.
  In 1980, the Republic of Korea's gross domestic product, GDP, per 
capita was $2,300, about one-third of nearby economies such as 
Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. Since then, South Korea has advanced 
into a developed economy that had a GDP per capita of $30,000 in 2010, 
almost thirteen times the figure thirty years earlier. The country's 
overall GDP increased from $88 billion to $1,460 billion in the same 
period.
  Today, South Korea's economy ranks fifteenth in the world by nominal 
GDP and twelfth by purchasing power parity. It is one of the G-20 major 
economies and it is a member of the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development. As of 2010, South Korea was the sixth 
largest exporter and tenth largest importer in the world. Korea is the 
United States' seventh-largest trading partner, with a pending free 
trade agreement that will bring multiple benefits to both of our 
countries in terms of increased trade and investment. We must pass the 
pending U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement KORUS FTA as soon as possible.
  The conflict in Afghanistan is as controversial in Korea as it is in 
the United States, which makes the Republic of Korea's pledge of an 
additional $500 million (over 5 years) in aid to Afghanistan all the 
more significant. It sends a signal to the world that Korea is a 
dedicated partner in peace and an ally that the U.S. can count on.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me today in saluting the 
Republic of Korea and people of Korea for their continued partnership 
in helping to rebuild the economy and society of Afghanistan.