by Paek Jongmin
Published 13 Jun.2020 05:02(KST)
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, a resolution emphasizing the importance of the South Korea-US alliance has been submitted to the US Senate.
Senators Cory Gardner (Republican) and Ed Markey (Democrat) jointly introduced a resolution on the 11th (local time) commemorating the 70 years since the outbreak of the Korean War, celebrating how the South Korea-US alliance has become mutually beneficial and transformed into an international partnership.
Gardner, a Korea expert, serves as the chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee within the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which handles Korean Peninsula issues, while Markey is the Democratic ranking member of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. The resolution is thus bipartisan.
The resolution states that June 25, 1950, symbolizes the beginning of the ironclad South Korea-US alliance forged in blood, and evaluates South Korea as one of the greatest success stories since World War II, emphasizing that South Korea's partnership remains the linchpin of the US's Northeast Asia foreign policy.
Regarding the US Forces Korea, the resolution assesses that forward-deploying and stationing US troops in South Korea aligns with US national interests, and that the US Forces Korea remain prepared in their stationing and deployment to counter any third-party attacks or coercive attempts.
The resolution also includes wording emphasizing that the US Forces Korea rely on the critical contributions of dedicated Korean workers. This expression is presumed to reflect the mass unpaid leave of Korean workers caused by delays in the South Korea-US defense cost-sharing negotiations.
The resolution notes that the 70 years of the South Korea-US alliance have led to important cooperation in addressing global pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, citing South Korea's provision of COVID-19 diagnostic test kits and masks to the US as an example.
It also reaffirmed that the two governments will pursue coordinated policies in diplomatic engagement, economic pressure, and military deterrence to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.