Recognizing the Importance of the United States-Republic of Korea-Japan Trilateral Relationship

Floor Speech

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Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 634, expressing support for the U.S.-Republic of Korea-Japan trilateral relationship.

The United States-Republic of Korea-Japan trilateral relationship is strategically vital to countering the provocations emanating from North Korea, and this resolution provides guidance for what should be our shared priorities in addressing the threat posed by the paranoid regime in Pyongyang.

As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, I remain deeply concerned with the volatility and ever-present potential of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

It is a specter that looms over 75 million Koreans and, for their sake and that of the region, the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, and other regional stakeholders must demonstrate commitment to addressing this threat.

The Korean Peninsula is one of the most dangerous flashpoints on the globe. There have been recent developments in the North Korea saga that are profoundly troubling and deserve an immediate response from Congress.

North Korea's fourth nuclear weapons test and ongoing ballistic missile tests confirm that the regime in Pyongyang is committed to defying international norms and destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region.

This resolution, sanctions passed by Congress, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270, the R.O.K.'s decision to close Kaesong Industrial Complex, and the recent agreement to deploy the THAAD missile defense system to the Peninsula constitute a concerted effort to target North Korea's illicit trade networks and protect a vital U.S. ally from the illicit nuclear program that has made North Korea a world pariah.

The North Korean threat endangers the security and stability of close and valued defense treaty allies, the R.O.K. and Japan.

The U.S. has met this challenge with security assurances, military resources, deepened economic ties, and an effort to marshal the opposition of the international community against a nuclear armed North Korea.

We must continue to demonstrate the resolve to achieve a nuclear- weapon-free Korean Peninsula.

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