South Korea’s President Speaks to US Congress

South Korea’s President Speaks to US Congress

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke¹ to the American Congress Thursday on the final day of his state visit to the United States.

The visit marks 70 years of the U.S.-South Korean alliance. Yoon is the seventh South Korean president to address Congress.

Yoon spoke about the historical relationship the two countries shared. He spoke about the Korean War in which "the U.S. did not look the other way," but supported the people of South Korea. Yoon noted² that 37,000 American soldiers lost their lives in that war.

The South Korean president also spoke about the Mutual³ Defense⁴ Treaty between the two nations and praised their continuing alliance.

"Once a recipient⁵ of aid, Korea is the only nation in modern history to become a donor⁶. This itself demonstrates the success of our Alliance," Yoon said.

Yoon noted that, since the U.S. Congress approved a free trade agreement with Korea in 2011, "bilateral⁷ trade has increase 68 percent." During that time, U.S. investment in South Korea has doubled, and South Korean investment in the U.S. has tripled.

The alliance, Yoon argued, had supplied peace and prosperity to the two sides. Now, Yoon said: "Together with the U.S., Korea will play the role as a "compass for freedom" for citizens around the world.

He compared those good qualities with a government that has followed, in his words, "the wrong path." He said North Korea, with its nuclear and missile programs, threatened peace in Korea and beyond. Yoon urged speeding up cooperation between his country, the U.S. and Japan to face the North Korean nuclear threat. And he promised to firmly answer the North's provocations⁸ while remaining open to denuclearizing talks.

Yoon closed by praising U.S.-Korea cooperation in high technology and economic trade.

A state visit

On Wednesday, Yoon met with President Joe Biden to discuss several issues. These include the military threats of North Korea, how the two nations can cooperate economically, and ways to deal with an increasingly powerful China. Other issues were also discussed.

Ahead of those talks, the two sides released the Washington Declaration. It is an agreement in which South Korea promised not to develop its own nuclear weapons program. In return, South Korea will have a greater decision-making voice in U.S. contingency⁹ planning in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. The U.S. also promised a more muscular presence in the area.

A state dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening brought media stars, businesspeople and politicians to Washington to celebrate.

The event was the second state dinner during the Biden administration. The first was for French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Tuesday, Biden, Yoon and their wives visited the Korean War Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.

Words in This Story

recipient –n. a person or group that receives something

bilateral –adj. involving two sides

prosperity –n. a state of success marked by having good things

compass –n. something that guides good decision making; a device used for navigation that points toward the Earth's magnetic poles

contingency –n. something that might happen, such as an emergency

muscular –adj. strong or powerful

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

6 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

7 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 provocations   

n.挑衅( provocation的名词复数 )；激怒；刺激；愤怒的原因

参考例句：

• We cannot ignore such provocations. 对于这种挑衅，我们不能置之不理。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They must immediately cease all their provocations. 他们必须停止一切挑衅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。