[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             WELCOMING SOUTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TAE-SIK LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VITO FOSSELLA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 3, 2005

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, as cochair of the Congressional Caucus on 
Korea, I would like to take the opportunity to formally welcome the 
Honorable Tae-Sik Lee as ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the 
United States and to congratulate him on his appointment.
  Ambassador Lee's diplomatic credentials and legacy are entrenched in 
a life-long devotion to promoting, enlarging and broadening South 
Korea's stature and prominence at home and around the globe. He most 
recently served as vice foreign minister at the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade, MOFAT. His other notable diplomatic assignments 
include ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland, ambassador to Israel and deputy executive director of the 
Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, KEDO.
  It is clear that Ambassador Lee brings tremendous depth of experience 
and expertise to Washington. I was pleased to learn that, upon his 
arrival on Friday, October 14, he stated, according to the South Korean 
Embassy, that he ``looks forward to working together to strengthen the 
U.S.-Korea alliance and improving Korean-American relations.''
  It is important to note that Ambassador Lee has the distinct honor of 
representing one of America's closest allies. For over 50 years, the 
United States and South Korea have enjoyed a broad and comprehensive 
alliance, a partnership dedicated to peace and stability, economic 
growth and prosperity through free enterprise, and democracy with 
respect for human rights and the rule of law.
  South Korea has undergone a fundamental transformation within the 
past 50 years, having emerged from a worn-torn and impoverished nation 
into a full and mature democracy that has generated the world's 11th 
largest economy. South Korea now ranks as the seventh largest trading 
partner of the United States with over $72 billion in trade volume 
annually and is also the fifth largest market for U.S. agricultural 
products. In this regard, South Korea would make an excellent candidate 
for a Free Trade Agreement, FTA with the United States.
  South Korea remains an indispensable security partner to the United 
States, having stood alongside our troops in all four major conflicts 
that we have faced since the Korean War. Most recently, in the U.S.-led 
war on terror, South Korea has deployed more than 3,270 troops to 
Iraq--the third largest contingent after the United States and Great 
Britain--and supported continuing operations in Afghanistan.
  South Korea has also remained a key partner in the six-party talks 
focusing on the question of preventing nuclear proliferation in 
northeast Asia, and its diplomatic efforts were indispensable in 
achieving the joint statement that resulted from the recent fourth 
round negotiations. I hope that for all the challenges that lie ahead 
in future negotiations of the talks, we will continue to work together 
to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and promote peace and stability in 
the region.
  For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I wish to welcome Ambassador Tae-Sik 
Lee to the United States and express my personal appreciation to the 
government and people of South Korea. According to unofficial estimates 
by the South Korean Embassy, our country is now home to over 2 million 
Korean-Americans, with more than 444,000 who live in New York. I ask my 
colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to South Korea by 
extending their hands in friendship to its ambassador, Tae-Sik Lee.

                          ____________________