Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after meeting with Republic of Korea Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se. This was the first meeting Chairman Menendez held with a foreign dignitary this year.

"The ties that bind our two countries are deep, unshakable, and reflect the deep U.S. commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea. This is an ironclad pledge, one that I made to President Park this summer in Seoul and to Foreign Minister Yun today in Washington," Menendez said. "Today, we discussed continued regional instability caused by North Korean actions, including their pursuit of nuclear weapons and advanced ballistic missiles. We spoke about the pathway forward in Congress for the extension of the US-Korea civilian nuclear ("123") agreement and the importance of not allowing the current agreement to lapse. We also discussed implementing all aspects of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the benefits of increased economic and trade cooperation."

Photograph Caption: Republic of Korea Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez meet at the U.S. Capitol on January 7th

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