Then-U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and then-South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo hold a joint press conference at the Pentagon Briefing Room in Washington D.C., Feb. 24, 2020. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicole Mejia)
The Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. states that “our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.” From 1950 to 1953, nearly 1.8 million Americans answered that call. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs estimates that over 103,280 young Americans of every race and origin were wounded, and 33,739 paid the ultimate price.
The shared sacrifice of U.S. and Korean servicemen forged the ironclad alliance between the two nations, a crucial component of which in recent decades has been the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), an annually negotiated agreement that provides for the burden-sharing of costs to station U.S. military personnel in South Korea. The speedy negotiation and implementation of the SMA was a given for nearly three decades since 1991; however, the recent years have seen delays and lapses in the agreement, causing bipartisan concern over the readiness of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), including a furlough of thousands of civilian employees.
The verdict on the necessity of a stable and steadfast U.S.-RoK alliance is as unequivocal as it is bipartisan. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021 once again requires a minimum U.S. troop presence in South Korea of 28,500 without special approval from Congress—the same provision as the one included in the NDAA for FY 2020. Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Mac Thornberry (R, TX-13) commented in September 2020 to Defense News: “Where the U.S. is engaged in the world, we’re forward deployed we have alliances, that broad approach that has been so successful for us.” HASC Chairman Adam Smith (D, WA-9) stressed in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper that the SMA negotiations “must emphasize the irrefutable benefits to U.S. national security that our forward presence on the Korean Peninsula provides.”
The We Go Together Act (H.R.7234 / S.4018), named after the USFK slogan “We Go Together” or “같이 갑시다,” provides a legislative solution to streamline the burden-sharing negotiation process between the United States and South Korea and bolster the U.S.-RoK alliance. It seeks to require the President to provide Congress with a detailed justification and rationale to any changes with respect to the U.S.-RoK Mutual Defense Treaty, no later than 120 days before making such a change.
House Bill (H.R.7234)
- Introduced by Rep. Ami Bera (D, CA-7), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, on June 18, 2020
- Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on June 18, 2020
Senate Bill (S.4018)
- Introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, on June 22, 2020
- Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 22, 2020
Advocating for a stronger U.S.-Korea alliance is one of the core missions of KAGC. As such, KAGC has been calling for continued cooperation and close coordination between the two nations, especially when it comes to security. In July 2020, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and KAGC President Dongsuk Kim published a joint op-ed on the Chosun Ilbo marking the state of the U.S.-RoK alliance on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Senator Menendez and Mr. Kim reaffirm that the U.S.-RoK alliance is the “linchpin” to peace and prosperity in the Northeast Asia, and emphasize the benefits that the alliance provides to U.S. national security and strategic posture.
Press Release: Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ami Bera on the introduction of the We Go Together Act