III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 13, 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. ROMNEY) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

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. 

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 


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•SRES 213 IS 

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; 


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•SRES 213 IS 

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’’; 


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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’’; 


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•SRES 213 IS 

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 

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 


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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, 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) welcomes President Moon Jae-in to the 

3 United States; 

4 (2) reaffirms the importance of the United 

5 States-Republic of Korea relationship as the linchpin 

6 to safeguarding peace, security, and prosperity on 

7 the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region; 

8 (3) reaffirms United States extended deterrence 

9 commitments to the Republic of Korea, and that the 

10 United States will continue to ensure that its policy 

11 and posture reflects the requirements of extended 

12 deterrence; 

13 (4) supports ongoing efforts to further 

14 strengthen, broaden, and deepen the ironclad United 

15 States-Republic of Korea alliance, including the 

16 United States-Korea Security Consultative Com17 mittee (2+2) to confront threats to the peace and 

18 safety of both nations, and to stand together for the 

19 common values and shared interests that unite us; 


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1 (5) calls for continued cooperation between the 

2 Governments of the United States and the Republic 

3 of Korea in the promotion of human rights; 

4 (6) commits to continuing and expanding 

5 United States-Republic of Korea medical, scientific, 

6 and vaccine collaboration, particularly since coopera7 tion between the two countries has saved countless 

8 lives during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

9 (7) recognizes the support of the Government of 

10 the Republic of Korea in addressing global chal11 lenges, including COVID–19 challenges, that threat12 en the health and safety of people everywhere; 

13 (8) encourages, as written in the Joint State14 ment of the 2021 United States-Republic of Korea 

15 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2), 

16 ‘‘mutually-reinforcing and future-oriented coopera17 tion across a wide range of areas’’; 

18 (9) calls for close coordination to achieve the 

19 denuclearization of the DPRK and the establishment 

20 of a permanent and lasting peace on the Korean Pe21 ninsula; 

22 (10) appreciates President Moon’s commitment 

23 to diplomacy, including through his signing of the 

24 joint Republic of Korea-Democratic People’s Repub25 lic of Korea April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration 


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1 for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Ko2 rean Peninsula; 

3 (11) encourages close cooperation among the 

4 United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan to 

5 address shared challenges; and 

6 (12) appreciates the Government and people of 

7 the Republic of Korea for their extraordinary con8 tribution to the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean 

9 War Veterans Memorial, and extends well wishes for 

10 the groundbreaking ceremony during President 

11 Moon Jae-in’s visit. 

Æ 


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