Pelosi, Boehner Remarks Before Meeting With the President of the Republic of Korea
Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader John Boehner held a press availability this afternoon with President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea before their meeting in the Capitol. Below are their remarks:
Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon. It is indeed a privilege and pleasure to welcome the President of the Republic of Korea back to the Capitol.
When he was here before, he was the newly elected President of Korea, having won the biggest victory in Korean electoral history. Now, he has come at a time that is very, very important to both of our countries. Our friendship of course always important, but at a time when North Korea is testing weapons of mass destruction and short-range missiles, it is all the more important that we have the discussions so that we can try to bring North Korea to the Six-Party Talks.
Earlier today, as you know, the President met with President Obama. We look forward to having our bipartisan leadership conversations with President Lee once again, so that we can reaffirm the importance of the relationship between Korea and the United States, so that we can reaffirm our security commitment to Korea, and so that we can hear from the President the state on the ground in the Korean Peninsula.
It is in none of our interest, or in the interest of any of the parties to the Six-Party Talks, to have a nuclear North Korea. We all must avoid the nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- for what it means in the region, and for what it means in the world.
And in that sprit of cooperation and respect, it again is my pleasure to welcome President Lee to the Capitol.
Now, I am pleased to yield to my distinguished colleague, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Boehner.
Leader Boehner. Madam Speaker, thank you and let me also welcome President Lee to the Capitol.
There is a long relationship between the South Koreans and the United States. There are clearly a number of issues that need to be discussed and at the top of that list would be the situation in North Korea. In addition to that, there is a free-trade agreement that has been in the works. And so, this is an opportunity for the Congress of the United States to talk directly with President Lee about the mutual issues that we are both dealing with.
So, President Lee, welcome.
President Lee Myung-bak. Speaker Pelosi, Leader Boehner, thank you first of all. Thank you, for the warm welcome extended to me. We all know that the United States Congress has always been our traditional ally and also our partner.
Also, Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to extend my warmest gratitude for the House passing the resolution yesterday, House Resolution 309, regarding Korean issues.
Madam Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, you all know that the Republic of Korea and the United States have been the closest allies for many decades, so we will continue to work together and not only to resolve the issues surrounding the Peninsula, but in particular to resolve peacefully the North Korean nuclear issue.
And of course, we have the new UN Security Council Resolution 1874. We have a tool to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue. Of course, the Republic of Korean government will continue to work with our American partners in order to bring about the resolution of this issue and to bring about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and of course the Six-Party Talks and through other measures we will do that.
And so Madam Speaker, I hope that we can work continuously in order to strengthen not only our bilateral relationship, but also Korea and the United States as allies and partners and we will continuously address issues of global concern. And I ask Madam Speaker for your continued support from the United States Congress.
And so once again, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the Senate leadership and of course the House leadership for this opportunity today so that we can engage in in-depth discussions.