President Moon Meets with Pro-Korea U.S. Lawmakers... "Thankful for U.S. Congress Support of Korea-U.S. Development"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in met with the delegation of the Korea Study Group (CSGK), a bipartisan group within the U.S. Congress, and expressed gratitude for their support in strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Rep. Young Kim, co-chair of CSGK, mentioned President Moon’s concern for North Korean human rights and urged attention to Christian defector families detained in China.

On the morning of the 9th, President Moon met with the CSGK delegation at the Blue House main building and said, "I deeply appreciate the role of the U.S. Congress in steadfastly supporting the development of the South Korea-U.S. relationship."

President Moon stated, "I cannot forget the warm welcome extended by the U.S. Congress during my visit to the United States last May. Both the House and Senate introduced resolutions welcoming my visit, and at the House leadership meeting, they expressed strong support for the robust South Korea-U.S. alliance and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."

President Moon added, "South Korea and the United States are opening a new chapter of cooperation as a more comprehensive and mutually beneficial strategic alliance following the South Korea-U.S. summit. I deeply appreciate the role of the U.S. Congress in steadfastly supporting this development, and I ask for your continued interest and support so that the South Korea-U.S. alliance can develop into the most exemplary alliance and lead to lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Rep. Kim, who is of Korean immigrant background and serves as co-chair of CSGK, also expressed her gratitude in Korean, saying, "I feel like I have returned to my home. Thank you for the warm welcome."

Rep. Kim said, "I remember that after the recent South Korea-U.S. summit, the President emphasized progress in North Korean human rights in his subsequent statement and spoke about its importance. Personally, as a legislator who is very actively engaged in North Korean human rights issues, I was very pleased and happy to hear the President speak about improving the human rights situation in North Korea."

In this regard, Rep. Kim also requested attention to two Christian defector families currently detained in China. She said, "I hope the South Korean government will contact the Chinese government to help these families come to South Korea. Although North Korea is currently closed off, if the border reopens, it is clear that these families will be repatriated, and in that case, it is obvious that some unfortunate events will occur," expressing concern.

Another CSGK co-chair, Rep. Ami Bera, said, "The fact that the U.S. congressional delegation is visiting South Korea for the first time in 15 months clearly demonstrates the importance of the South Korea-U.S. relationship. I especially want to sincerely thank the Korean people for providing and supplying a great deal of support, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing devices, especially during the early stages of the pandemic."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.