President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) on July 31 shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Gregory F. Murphy (Republican-North Carolina), a member of a visiting delegation from the House of Representatives, at the Office of the President in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District. (Office of the President)
By Margareth Theresia
President Yoon Suk Yeol on July 31 held talks with a visiting delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives led by Rep. Jason Smith (Republican-Missouri), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.
Presidential spokesperson Lee Do Woon said in a news release the same day, “President Yoon held a meeting with a delegation from the U.S. House of Representative and exchanged views on the bilateral alliance and economic cooperation as well as regional and international issues.”
Welcoming the delegation’s visit, the president said, “I hope that both countries closely cooperate to continue demonstrating global leadership together under an alliance of cutting-edge technology and values.”
He also thanked Congress for showing bipartisan support for and interest in the strategic importance of the bilateral alliance and close cooperation, saying, “We look forward to the unwavering support and encouragement of the visiting congressional delegation for the development of Korea-U.S. relations.”
“Brisk investment and exchange between companies of both countries are contributing to boosting the recovery and stability of bilateral supply chains,” he added, requesting cooperation so that related bills promoted by Congress can further stimulate collaboration and lead the shared growth of both economies.
Rep. Smith said the delegation visited Korea during Congress’ summer recess first to directly confirm the bilateral alliance, which he called stronger and sturdier than ever before, as well as actively boost bilateral economic cooperation.
Congress places high importance on the continuous strengthening and development of the alliance, he added, and will continue support both sides to cooperate more closely as reliable allies in times of complex crises such as supply chain restructuring, energy and food problems, and competition in state-of-the-art technology.
The delegation visited Korea on the first leg of its trip to four East Asian countries. Eight of its members spoke to President Yoon including Reps. Smith, Ritchie Torres (Democrat-New York), Morgan McGarvey (Democrat-Kentucky), Gregory Murphy (Republican-North Carolina), Michelle Steel (Republican-California), Nicole Malliotakis (Republican-New York), Amata Coleman Radewagen (Republican-American Samoa) and Nathaniel Moran (Texas-Republican).
margareth@korea.kr
