[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7060-S7061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 52--COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
THE SECURITY CONSULTATIVE MEETING BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Mr. Markey) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 52

       Whereas, on October 31, 2018, the United States and the 
     Republic of Korea (also known as ``ROK'') co-hosted the 50th 
     annual Republic of Korea-United States Security Consultative 
     Meeting (commonly known and referred to in this preamble as 
     the ``SCM'');
       Whereas the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the 
     United States dates back to the Mutual Defense Treaty of 
     1953, in which the United States committed to defending its 
     ally from outside aggression;
       Whereas the United States currently stations 28,500 troops 
     on the Korean Peninsula as part of the obligation of the 
     United States to defend the Republic of Korea;
       Whereas the SCM supports broader diplomatic engagements 
     between the 2 allies that span a broad array of issues 
     important to the people of the Republic of Korea and to the 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas the SCM has been crucial to the continued economic 
     prosperity of the Republic of Korea and to peace and 
     stability on the Korean Peninsula;
       Whereas the SCM has reinforced the critical alliance 
     between the Republic of Korea and the United States and 
     deepens the friendship between the 2 countries;
       Whereas the 50th anniversary of the SCM signifies an 
     enduring alliance based on the shared values of freedom, 
     democracy, human rights, and the rule of law;
       Whereas the SCM uses the ``Joint Vision for ROK-U.S. 
     Alliance'' and the ``Guidelines

[[Page S7061]]

     for ROK-U.S. Defense Cooperation'' to enhance the alliance 
     beyond one of military cooperation to one of mutual trust;
       Whereas the SCM has been crucial in facilitating 
     independent operational capabilities of the armed forces of 
     the Republic of Korea, allowing those forces to expand their 
     defense capabilities and assume operational control of the 
     combined forces under the current armistice;
       Whereas the SCM is key to strengthening bilateral 
     cooperation in responding to global security challenges and 
     threats, including terrorism, piracy, natural disasters, 
     peacekeeping operations, and stabilization and 
     reconstruction;
       Whereas the SCM will continue to pursue complete, 
     verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of the nuclear 
     weapons and ballistic missile programs of North Korea to 
     maintain a lasting peace; and
       Whereas, with the continued and growing threat from the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the increasing 
     importance of the Indo-Pacific region, the SCM has come to 
     represent the irreplaceable friendship and alliance between 
     the United States and the Republic of Korea: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Republic of 
     Korea-United States Security Consultative Meeting (``SCM'') 
     and the enduring relationship between the United States and 
     the Republic of Korea that the SCM represents;
       (2) reaffirms the military alliance based on mutual trust 
     and shared values between the United States and the Republic 
     of Korea;
       (3) recognizes that the alliance between the United States 
     and the Republic of Korea will remain ironclad, irrespective 
     of any efforts by third parties to sow discord between the 
     countries; and
       (4) supports the continued pursuit of--
       (A) a complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement 
     of the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs of 
     North Korea; and
       (B) lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and 
     throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

                          ____________________