President Han Chul-soo (한철수),
General Vincent Brooks (빈센트 브룩스),
Deputy Chief of Mission Marc Knapper (마크 내퍼),
Members of the USFK and the Korea America Friendship Society,
Distinguished guests,

Good evening. I am so pleased to join the 2017 Korea America Friendship Night and to see so many familiar faces in this hall, all of whom have been strong supporters of this great Alliance between Korea and the U.S.

My special thanks go to President Han Chul-soo and his team at the Korea America Friendship Society, who have spared no efforts to further deepen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the USFK and the local communities in Korea.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the five recipients of this year’s Korea America Friendship Award:
- First Lieutenant Jean Kwon of the 229th Signal Company,
- Gunners Mate First Class Petty Officer, Branden Eric Simmons of U.S. Naval Forces Korea,
- Airman First Class Jasmyne A. Christopher of the 6th Intelligence Squadron,
- Staff Sergeant Pablo Abad of the U.S. Marine Forces Korea; and
- Director of Emergency Services, Mr. Robert Nelson.

Each and every recipient who has been just recognized for their contributions to our Alliance truly embodies the friendship between our two peoples, which has been continuously nurtured on the basis of the ROK-US Alliance.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As emphasized by President Moon Jae-in on his recent visit to the Combined Forces Command last Tuesday, the ROK-US Alliance has been the bedrock of democracy and economic growth of Korea while successfully deterring North Korean aggression.

Furthermore, the ROK-US Alliance has evolved into a comprehensive strategic alliance of bilateral, regional and global scope based on common values and mutual interest, expanding its cooperation into social, economic and cultural fields.

In this vein, I am very much honored to join President Moon in extending deepest appreciation for the tireless contributions of USFK soldiers, officers, and civilians for keeping peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Distinguished guests,

As we all know, President Moon will make his first visit to Washington D.C. next week for the summit meeting with President Trump.

We expect that the two leaders will re-confirm that our Alliance is the linchpin for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region, while reaffirming the U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence.

Furthermore, the two Presidents will have an in-depth discussion on how to further strengthen the economic ties between our two countries as well as the global partnership to address a wide variety of international issues.

The North Korean nuclear and missile threats, the top priority security challenge facing Seoul and Washington, will, of course, be on the agenda of the summit meeting.

Distinguished guests,

As some of you might recall, Korea is one of the very few countries that has stood shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. during all the critical junctures in modern history – Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Our Alliance is truly mutually beneficial. Korea has been making a substantial contribution in terms of burden sharing, as exemplified by the relocation of the USFK bases to Camp Humphreys.

In this regard, I hope that President Moon’s upcoming visit will provide the U.S. public with an opportunity to better understand the enormous value of the Alliance for Korea as well as the U.S.

Although we are all gathered in this hall in a very festive mood, I think I should conclude my remarks on a rather sad and somber note.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Mr. Warmbier, who died a tragic death after unjustifiable 17 month-long captivity in North Korea.

North Korea’s disrespect for the universal norm of human rights is truly deplorable.

Not just in responding to this tragedy, but also in addressing various challenges on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, we will go together as we have done over the past half century.

“We go together.” “같이 갑시다.” /End/