SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John Curtis (R-UT) led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to South Korea for meetings with senior government officials, U.S. diplomatic and military leadership. The delegation included Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
In meetings with President Lee Jae-myung, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-back, Senator Shaheen and the delegation reaffirmed ironclad bipartisan Congressional support for the U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance. In engagements with counterparts, the Senators emphasized that the alliance remains vital to regional stability, particularly as Russia and North Korea deepen their military and technology cooperation. The Senators welcomed President Lee’s initiative to continue leader-level collaboration with Japan and to invest in critical military capabilities to enable greater ROK operational leadership in the combined conventional defense against North Korea. The Senators also acknowledged the effects of the on-going conflict in the Middle East on ROK energy security, financial markets and supply chains and pledged to urge greater American coordination of efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The delegation discussed U.S.-ROK economic cooperation in the shipbuilding, automotive and technology sectors. Continued growth in two-way trade and investment benefits American and South Korean workers and companies alike. South Korean companies like Samsung, Hyundai and LG employ hundreds of thousands of Americans and play a critical role in strengthening U.S. manufacturing and supply chains.
Senators Shaheen and Tillis also visited Camp Humphreys, the U.S. Army’s largest overseas military installation, to consult with U.S. military leaders regarding alliance modernization and the regional security situation. Senators Curtis and Rosen visited the Joint Security Area for a briefing from U.S. forces managing the daily operations at the DMZ.
Across the meetings, the Senators underscored that the U.S.-ROK alliance is a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, grounded in shared democratic values, strategic alignment against shared threats and groundbreaking long-term investments and technological cooperation.
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