[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1012 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 1012

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                     November 18, 2020.
Whereas the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 83 on June 27, 
        1950, recommending ``Members of the United Nations furnish assistance to 
        the Republic of Korea'' and Resolution 84 on July 7, 1950, recommending 
        members make military forces and other assistance available ``to a 
        unified command under the United States of America'';
Whereas, on July 27, 1953, an Armistice Agreement was signed by United States 
        Army Lieutenant General William Harrison, Jr., representing the United 
        Nations Command with the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's 
        Volunteer Army to ``ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of 
        all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is 
        achieved'';
Whereas the Armistice Agreement 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, on October 1, 1953, the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States 
        and the Republic of Korea (5 UST 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 each's own peace and security and to ``act to meet the 
        common danger in accordance with [each's] constitutional processes'' and 
        remains in force today;
Whereas during the Korean war, 1,789,000 United States soldiers, sailors, 
        airmen, and marines served in theater, 36,574 paid the ultimate 
        sacrifice with their lives in defense of freedom in the Republic of 
        Korea, and over 7,500 United States servicemembers remain classified by 
        the Department of Defense as missing in action;
Whereas, on October 7, 2016, H.R. 1475, entitled the ``Korean War Veterans 
        Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act'', was introduced in Congress by 
        Representative Sam Johnson of Texas and became Public Law 114-230;
Whereas according to House Report 114-433 to accompany H.R. 1475, H.R. 1475 
        authorizes a Wall of Remembrance to be added to the Korean War Veterans 
        Memorial with the names of those that died in theater, are listed as 
        missing, or prisoners of war, and would also list the number of members 
        of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) who were 
        killed in action, wounded in action, prisoners of war, or are listed as 
        missing in action;
Whereas the ongoing conflict separated countless Korean families from one 
        another, and an estimated 3,000 elderly South Koreans die every year 
        without reuniting with their loved ones;
Whereas in the 70 years since the outbreak of the Korean conflict, the United 
        States-Republic of Korea alliance has transformed itself from a security 
        relationship into a comprehensive global partnership;
Whereas the Republic of Korea is considered one of the greatest success stories 
        in the post-World War II era and constitutes a lynchpin of United States 
        foreign policy in Northeast Asia;
Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea have stood shoulder to 
        shoulder in all major military conflicts the United States has faced 
        since the Korean war while maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula;
Whereas this partnership has contributed to regional and global prosperity 
        through the shared values of democracy, free market economy, human 
        rights, and the rule of law;
Whereas it is in the national interest of the United States to maintain its 
        forward deployed presence in the Republic of Korea through United States 
        Forces Korea (USFK), a premier Joint Force that is ``well led, 
        disciplined, trained and ready to Fight Tonight and win'';
Whereas the 70-year transformation of the United States-Korea alliance into a 
        mutually beneficial partnership has recently led to important 
        coordination and cooperation in confronting global pandemics including 
        H1N1 in 2009, and COVID-19 in 2020;
Whereas the Republic of Korea has made significant contributions to the global 
        community in combating and containing COVID-19, including the 
        manufacture and export of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain 
        Reaction (RT-PCR) test kits to the United States Government and various 
        States;
Whereas, on May 8, 2020, the Republic of Korea donated 500,000 masks to be 
        distributed to Korean war veterans throughout the United States, 
        including the Navajo Nation, in a gesture of gratitude and in 
        commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war; 
        and
Whereas, on May 10, 2020, the Republic of Korea donated 2,000,000 masks to the 
        United States to help fill shortages in hospitals most impacted by 
        COVID-19: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) underscores the continuing and crucial role of the alliance 
        between the United States and the Republic of Korea in ensuring peace 
        and stability in Asia and the world, including by providing security 
        from the threat posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and 
        its repeated provocations;
            (2) reaffirms the importance of close cooperation between the United 
        States and the Republic of Korea in the Indo-Pacific, including on 
        issues ranging from infrastructure and development financing to 
        promoting good governance;
            (3) encourages the continued close and continuing ties between the 
        people and governments of the two nations, as well as the contributions 
        the near two million Korean-Americans have made to both societies;
            (4) commits to continuing and expanding United States-Republic of 
        Korea medical and scientific and research collaboration, particularly 
        since cooperation between the two countries has saved countless lives 
        during the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (5) urges both countries to prioritize ongoing Special Measures 
        Agreement negotiations and to reach mutually agreeable terms; and
            (6) recommits the United States to ensuring the relationship between 
        the United States and Republic of Korea continues to grow and thrive 
        into the foreseeable future.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.