National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik Meets with U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel: "Agree with President Trump's Decision for Peace on the Korean Peninsula"

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik met with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel at the National Assembly today (the 21st) to discuss ways to promote parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries.

During today's meeting, Speaker Cho told Ambassador Steel, who previously served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, "You have demonstrated extensive experience and capability in American politics, and given your deep understanding and affection for South Korea, I expect you will be a great driving force for the development of the ROK-U.S. alliance."

"In particular, I deeply agree with and highly appreciate President Trump's will and determination to open up channels for dialogue on the currently chilled Korean Peninsula and establish a stable peace regime there," Speaker Cho emphasized.

Speaker Cho noted, "One somewhat regrettable point is that there is no proper counterpart to the Korea-U.S. Interparliamentary Union in the U.S. Congress," adding, "I believe the creation of a group like a U.S.-Korea Interparliamentary Union would be of even greater help to bilateral relations."

In response, Ambassador Steel stated, "(South Korean) lawmakers have visited the U.S. almost every year, and I understand that congressional delegations from the U.S. have also visited South Korea," adding, "Through exchanges on both sides, we have actively discussed how to further develop our alliance."

Ambassador Steel said, "I believe communication among lawmakers and at the congressional level is the most crucial element of all," and added, "If I can contribute to that in any way, I would actively like to help."

She also added, "Having worked in Congress myself, I understand firsthand how important a role [parliaments] play in shaping foreign policy and international relations," and "As an alliance with a long-standing history of 73 years, holding hands and cooperating is the most important thing."

(Photo: Provided by National Assembly Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.