South SFV Today

Washington, D.C. -- On April 27, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed a joint meeting of Congress, becoming the third world leader to do so since President Biden took office. In a nearly hour-long speech, delivered in English, Yoon praised the “synergy” between the United States and South Korea, called on North Korea to end its nuclear provocations, and warned against the threat disinformation poses to democracies around the world.

"Pleased to have been present for the address by Republic of Korea President Yoon to a Joint Meeting of Congress," said Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) after the speech. "I support his message of solidarity and standing together to face common threats in Northeast Asia."

Sherman Continued: "I've worked closely with Korean American Public Action Committee [KAPAC] and its leader Casey Choi to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, reunions for Korean families and strong US-ROK relations. President Yoon's visit and address reinforces the importance of these priorities."

Sherman made several observations regarding the address: "The President didn't mention China, except in the context of the 1950s. He did warn of the threat to democracy posed by false propaganda. 'We need to speed up Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation.'"

Sherman concluded: "The Republic of Korea spends 2.8% of its GDP on defense. A bit above our NATO allies. Significantly below the U.S. (The U.S. deliberately understates our spending on national security - we are actually above 4%.)" 

Original source can be found here.