[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 83 (Thursday, May 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2526-S2527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 213--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE UNITED STATES-
   REPUBLIC OF KOREA RELATIONSHIP TO SAFEGUARDING PEACE SECURITY AND 
  PROSPERITY ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA, IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION AND 
BEYOND, AND WELCOMING THE VISIT OF PRESIDENT MOON JAE-IN TO THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Markey, and Mr. Romney) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 213

       Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance is the 
     linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean 
     Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region and is critical to 
     close coordination to face the challenges posed by the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea and address future 
     security challenges;
       Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance is 
     rooted in mutual trust, shared values, intertwined economic 
     interests, and generations of people-to-people ties through 
     friendship, family, and community that, taken together, 
     provides a foundation for one of the strongest, most 
     interoperable, and dynamic bilateral alliances in the world;
       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;
       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 with ratification advised by 
     the Senate on January 26, 1954, and 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 force today;
       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 blood, with 1,789,000 United States soldiers, 
     sailors, airmen, and Marines serving in theater during the 
     war, of whom 36,574 paid the ultimate sacrifice with their 
     lives in defense of freedom in the Republic of Korea, 
     including 7,174 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army 
     (KATUSA) 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 2021 marks the 68th anniversary of the cessation of 
     hostilities in the Korean War and the signing of the 
     Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953, which remains in force 
     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, according to section 2 of the Korean War Veterans 
     Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act (Public Law 114-230; 130 
     Stat. 947), a Wall of Remembrance is currently being added to 
     the Korean War Veterans Memorial with the names of those that 
     died in theater, are listed as missing, or were prisoners of 
     war, and would also list the number of members of the KATUSA 
     who were killed in action, wounded in action, prisoners of 
     war, or are listed as missing in action;
       Whereas the Republic of Korea, in an extraordinary gesture 
     of lasting gratitude, has contributed to the construction of 
     the Wall of Remembrance, which will serve as an eternal 
     reminder for generations to come of the sacrifices made by 
     the United States and Republic of Korea alliance in defense 
     of freedom and regional security;
       Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea Foreign and 
     Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2) met on March 18, 2021, in 
     Seoul and reaffirmed that ``the ROK-U.S. Alliance, forged in 
     blood on the battlefield 70 years ago, serves as the linchpin 
     of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula 
     and the Indo-Pacific region'';
       Whereas a new, six-year Special Measures Agreement (SMA) 
     was initialed on the same day in the presence of the 
     secretaries and ministers and was later signed on April 8, 
     2021;
       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 Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the 
     United States-Republic of Korea relationship is ``rooted in 
     mutual trust, in shared values, deeply intertwined economic 
     interests, and, of course--and maybe most important--
     generations of family and community ties and having one 
     another's back in the most difficult times'';
       Whereas Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated the United 
     States-Republic of Korea alliance is ``ironclad'' and ``among 
     the strongest bilateral, interoperable, and dynamic alliances 
     in the world'', further stating that ``the United States 
     remains fully committed to the defense of the Republic of 
     Korea, using the full range of U.S. capabilities, including 
     our extended deterrent'';
       Whereas, on April 2, 2021, the United States-Republic of 
     Korea-Japan Trilateral National Security Advisors meeting 
     took place at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, 
     Maryland, and also on May 5, 2021, a Trilateral Foreign 
     Ministers' meeting took place in London ``to consult on the 
     United States' review of its North Korea policy and to 
     discuss issues of common concern including Indo Pacific 
     security'';
       Whereas, according to the joint press statement, ``the 
     national security advisors shared their concerns about North 
     Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reaffirmed 
     their commitment to address and resolve these issues through 
     concerted trilateral cooperation towards denuclearization'' 
     and further ``agreed on the imperative for full 
     implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions by 
     the international community, including North Korea, 
     preventing proliferation, and cooperating to strengthen 
     deterrence and maintain peace and stability on the Korean 
     Peninsula'';
       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 Secretary Blinken said during a March 17, 2021, 
     meeting with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Chung Eui-
     yong that ``the authoritarian regime in North Korea

[[Page S2527]]

     continues to commit systematic and widespread abuses against 
     its own people. We must stand with people demanding their 
     fundamental rights and freedoms and against those who repress 
     them.''.
       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 Republic of Korea is the United States' sixth 
     largest goods trading partner with $134,000,000,000 in total 
     (two way) goods trade and $34,600,000,000 in total services 
     trade for a combined $168,600,000,000 during 2019 and, 
     according to the Department of Commerce, United States 
     exports of goods and services to the Republic of Korea 
     supported an estimated 358,000 United States jobs in 2015;
       Whereas the Republic of Korea is one of the United States' 
     top sources of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which totaled 
     $61,800,000,000 in 2019 (up 9.2 percent over the previous 
     year) and supports more than 74,000 United States jobs in key 
     sectors including auto components, industrial equipment, 
     consumer electronics, software and IT services, renewable 
     energy, and electronic components that are all critical to 
     helping protect the United States supply chain as well as 
     foster leadership in a green technology future;
       Whereas the Republic of Korea made significant 
     contributions to the global community in combating COVID-19, 
     including the manufacture and export of Reverse Transcription 
     Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test kits to the United 
     States Government and various state governments, as well as 
     the donation of 2,000,000 masks to help fill shortages in 
     hospitals most impacted by COVID-19 and an additional 500,000 
     masks that were distributed to Korean War veterans throughout 
     the United States;
       Whereas the strength of the United States-Republic of Korea 
     relationship is due in large part to the nearly 2,000,000 
     Korean Americans that have made significant contributions to 
     every facet of American society and leadership to now include 
     four 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 May 2021, President Moon Jae-in will visit the 
     United States at the invitation of President Joe Biden: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) welcomes President Moon Jae-in to the United States;
       (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 in the 
     Indo-Pacific region;
       (3) reaffirms 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-Korea Security 
     Consultative Committee (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) commits to continuing and expanding United States-
     Republic of Korea medical, scientific, and vaccine 
     collaboration, particularly since cooperation between the two 
     countries has saved countless lives during the COVID-19 
     pandemic;
       (7) recognizes the support of the Government of the 
     Republic of Korea in addressing global challenges, including 
     COVID-19 challenges, that threaten the health and safety of 
     people everywhere;
       (8) encourages, as written in the Joint Statement of the 
     2021 United States-Republic of Korea Foreign and Defense 
     Ministerial Meeting (2+2), ``mutually-reinforcing and future-
     oriented cooperation across a wide range of areas'';
       (9) calls for close coordination to achieve the 
     denuclearization of the DPRK and the establishment of a 
     permanent and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula;
       (10) appreciates President Moon's commitment to diplomacy, 
     including through his signing of the joint Republic of Korea-
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea April 27, 2018, 
     Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification 
     of the Korean Peninsula;
       (11) encourages close cooperation among the United States, 
     the Republic of Korea, and Japan to address shared 
     challenges; and
       (12) appreciates the Government and people of the Republic 
     of Korea for their extraordinary contribution to the Wall of 
     Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and extends 
     well wishes for the groundbreaking ceremony during President 
     Moon Jae-in's visit.

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