[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10842-10843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         THE 62ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE KOREAN WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE KELLY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 29, 2012

  Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, the United States and the Republic of Korea 
have a deep and sustaining relationship built on shared values and 
shared sacrifice.
  June 25th marked the 62nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean 
War and the early days of an alliance with Korea that has withstood the 
test of time.
  In honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of 
freedom on the Korean Peninsula, we should affirm our continued support 
of this trusted ally who has fought alongside the U.S. in nearly every 
major conflict the U.S. has faced since World War II.
  Earlier this year, the United States and the Republic of Korea began 
the implementation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the

[[Page 10843]]

product of years of negotiation and persuasion that will be beneficial 
to both of our countries and to businesses, workers, and consumers both 
here and in Korea.
  This Free Trade Agreement will stimulate America's economic 
recovery--without government spending--by increasing U.S. exports and 
creating jobs in the U.S. According to the Senate Finance Committee, 
data taken from the independent, nonpartisan U.S. International Trade 
Commission (ITC) suggest that KORUS could create up to 280,000 jobs in 
the United States. While conservative estimates from the Office of the 
U.S. Trade Representative show a more modest increase of 70,000 jobs, 
either way you cut it, KORUS means more jobs for Americans, and that's 
great news for a nation that's suffered one of the longest periods of 
high unemployment rates since the Great Depression.
  In order to level the playing field for American businesses and 
manufacturers, the agreement has already begun to reduce Korean tariffs 
on U.S. exports. The ITC estimates that full implementation of KORUS 
will increase U.S. exports to Korea by nearly 30 percent more than 
imports from Korea would increase in the U.S., an amount equaling more 
than $10 billion.
  Even setting aside the great strides we have made by implementing the 
Free Trade Agreement, the relationship between the United States and 
Korea could not be stronger.
  Economically and politically speaking, Korea is stronger today than 
at any time in its history, a strength that would have been 
unimaginable in the dark days after the North Korean invasion 62 years 
ago.
  We have one of the strongest relationships in that part of the world 
and it will be growing stronger as we have more opportunities to 
advance our national security interests in the area of nuclear energy 
cooperation.
  Mr. Speaker, let me add that, after 40 years of a really close 
partnership in nuclear energy, it's now time to renew our 123 Agreement 
with Korea to strengthen our cooperation in this area. The Korea-U.S. 
123 Agreement will create good jobs for Americans in a key industry, 
nuclear energy.
  Clean, safe nuclear energy creates red, white, and blue jobs. I'm 
talking about evening the playing field for American energy companies 
that are competing with foreign companies and ensure American global 
leadership to energy exports of strong domestic energy companies such 
as Westinghouse, which is one of the most successful employers in 
Pennsylvania.
  Over the past 4 years, Westinghouse has added about 5,000 new 
employees to sustain its ability to deliver new nuclear power plants in 
China and the U.S., and provide services and nuclear fuel to the 
world's existing fleet of nuclear power plants. The majority of these 
new jobs were added in Western Pennsylvania. In fact, recently 
Westinghouse has consolidated about 4,000 of the 6,000 employees in 
Western Pennsylvania in a new facility in Cranberry Township in Butler 
County. Westinghouse is building products to export to Korea and other 
countries, and we must assure that all the legal hurdles to these 
exports are overcome. This includes renewal of our Section 123 
agreement that dates to the early 1970s.
  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, the Republic of Korea has been a partner 
with us since 1950 in every endeavor we've had--commercially, 
diplomatically, and militarily.
  The Korean people don't wait for the call. They don't wait for 
somebody saying, we need your help. They are there. And they stay until 
it's over.
  We have fought side-by-side with Korean soldiers in Vietnam, Iraq, 
and Afghanistan, and Korea has been a reliable diplomatic ally as we 
seek peace and stability in Northeast Asia and elsewhere around the 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, that last year I had the opportunity to travel to Korea 
to meet with political and military leaders and with business 
executives. The hospitality I encountered was remarkable. My hosts were 
gracious and informative, and being ``on the ground'' helped me to 
understand how the U.S.--Korea partnership works so well and, indeed, 
how it endures.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in saluting our Korean allies on this 
62th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. More than six 
decades have passed but the sacrifices of our American soldiers, 
sailors, airmen and Marines as well as the untold sacrifices of the 
Korean people have not and will not be forgotten.

                          ____________________