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May 13, 2008                                        www.house.gov/tauscher

Tauscher-Royce Legislation to Improve Defense Cooperation with South Korea Passes House

Legislation will upgrade South Korea's foreign military sales status

Washington, DC - Legislation to upgrade South Korea's military procurement status, authored by Reps. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif) and Ed Royce (R-Calif) passed the House of Representatives today as part of a broad package of security assistance measures.  If signed into law, the legislation would streamline defense sales to South Korea, putting Seoul on the same plane as currently enjoyed by members of NATO, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, and therefore improving defense cooperation.

"An ally as vital, strategic, and long-term as South Korea deserves to have a streamlined defense procurement process that leads to increased interoperability between our forces.  But not only that, the 29,000 men and women of our Armed Forces currently stationed in Korea deserve the best protection we can offer and this legislation will provide just that," said Rep. Tauscher, Chairman of the Strategic forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

"The U.S.-South Korean alliance is distinct.  With a Mutual Defense Treaty dating to 1953, Korea and the U.S. form perhaps the most integrated alliance of interoperable forces.  This legislation cements that cooperation," commented Royce. 

H.R. 5443, the "United States-Republic of Korea Defense Cooperation Improvement Act of 2008," was introduced by Rep. Royce and Rep. Tauscher on February 14, 2008.  Its key elements were included in H.R. 5916, the Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Reform Act of 2008.