U.S. lawmakers officially ask Yoon to address Congress

President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially asked by a visiting U.S. congressional delegation Wednesday to give an address to the U.S. Congress during his state visit to the United States later this month, the presidential office said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, greets Rep. Michael McCaul, who is leading a U.S. congressional delegation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a trip Korea, at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul Wednesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially asked by a visiting U.S. congressional delegation Wednesday to give an address to the U.S. Congress during his state visit to the United States later this month, the presidential office said.

Yoon met with eight lawmakers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican of Texas, along with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who is on a separate trip, at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul.

A bilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House is set for April 26, and Yoon's visit is expected to be an opportunity for the Korean president to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress for the first time in 10 years as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

Yoon told the U.S. lawmakers that he will be "delighted to stand on the podium of the Congress to give a historic speech on the special occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance," Lee Do-woon, presidential spokesman, said in a briefing Wednesday evening.

Yoon asked for "special attention and support from the U.S. Congress" for the strengthening the alliance, said Lee.

In turn, McCaul and Ossoff said that the Congress will provide maximum bipartisan support for the success of Yoon's state visit to the United States this month.

Six previous Korean presidents have made a speech to the U.S. Congress.

The bipartisan House delegation arrived in Korea for a three-day visit Tuesday.

Sen. Ossoff, a Democrat of Georgia, home to several major Korean plants, led a U.S. economic delegation to Seoul for a four-day trip starting Tuesday.

A strong advocate of the Korea-U.S. alliance, Ossoff met with Yoon, then a presidential candidate, during a trip to Korea in November 2021. He also met with Foreign Minister Park Jin on Wednesday.

During their visit, the House Foreign Affairs Committee lawmakers met with Korean officials and lawmakers, including Foreign Minister Park and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance and strengthening coordination on North Korean threats.

Park asked for full support from the U.S. Congress for Yoon's successful state visit to the U.S. during their talks Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The two sides also discussed marking the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance and other regional and global matters.

Park stressed that it was essential to strengthen bilateral cooperation in strategic industries, such as semiconductors and batteries, in order for the countries to go beyond a traditional security alliance and develop into an alliance that responds together to 21st century challenges, such as economic security and advanced technology.

He requested that the Congress continue to show interest and support in resolving Korean companies' uncertainties in relation to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

McCaul and the other American lawmakers agreed that cooperation between the two countries, which share core values, is important in the midst of complex regional and international crises, according to the ministry.

They assured that the U.S. Congress will do their best to ensure a successful state visit by the Korean president to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance. They also said they are encouraged that the two countries are expanding the role of the alliance under the common vision of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, the ministry said.

On Tuesday evening, Park, a former four-term lawmaker with close ties to the U.S. Congress, hosted a dinner for the U.S. delegation.

The delegation included Reps. French Hill, a Republican of Arizona; Young Kim, a Republican of California; Ami Bera, a Democrat of California; and Madeleine Dean, a Democrat of Pennsylvania.

Also on Wednesday, Edgard Kagan, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the White House National Security Council (NSC), met with First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation for the 70th anniversary, the Foreign Ministry said.

Cho is currently tapped to become Korean ambassador to the United States after previous ambassador Cho Tae-yong was appointed as Yoon's new national security adviser last week following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor.

Foreign Minister Jin Park, fourth from right, poses for a commemorative photo with a U.S. congressional delegation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Rep. Michael McCaul, at a banquet to welcome them at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul Tuesday. [NEWS1]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]