| Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, alongside his wife, Kim Keon Hee, waves at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, April 24, as he embarks on a six-day state visit to the United States. Yonhap |
A bipartisan group of senators on Monday introduced a resolution welcoming Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States and calling for efforts to use the opportunity to further strengthen the U.S.-Korea alliance.
The resolution, jointly proposed by Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman and ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee, respectively, comes as Yoon is set to begin a state visit to the U.S. later in the day.
"As we prepare to welcome President Yoon to Washington, I am immensely proud to be joined by colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing this resolution in honor of the enduring U.S.-ROK partnership," Sen. Menendez was quoted as saying, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
"I look forward to working with my colleagues to deepen our nations' alliance as we together seek to forge a more secure future and lasting peace for generations to come," he added, according to a press release.
The proposed resolution calls on the allies to use "the occasion of this state visit to further deepen the close security, economic, and people-to-people ties between our nations," while it seeks to offer support for "ongoing efforts to further strengthen, broaden, and deepen the ironclad United States-Republic of Korea alliance."
Diplomatic sources here noted the Senate will likely vote on the proposed resolution when it reconvenes on Tuesday.
A separate resolution welcoming Yoon's state visit to the U.S. was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and a bipartisan group of eight other lawmakers, including Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Young Kim (R-CA).
The resolution, according to Andy Kim, reaffirms the importance of the U.S.-South Korea relationship "as the linchpin to safeguarding peace, security and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific."
It also "reaffirms the United States' extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea."
"America's relationship and strategic partnership with South Korea remains strong after 70 years. In the next 70 years, our two nations will be integral in ensuring regional and global peace by acting as pillars of stability and leading by example," the New Jersey representative was quoted as saying.
President Yoon and President Joe Biden are set to hold a bilateral summit on Wednesday, which will mark their sixth meeting since Yoon took office in May 2022.
The Korean president is also set to address a joint session of U.S. Congress on Thursday, becoming the first South Korean head of state to do so since 2013. (Yonhap)