Press Release

Rep. Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, issued the following statement after the United States and Republic of Korea came to a stopgap agreement that allows South Korean workers on U.S. bases in the Republic of Korea to return to work.

"I applaud the United States and the Republic of Korea for arriving at this agreement. I'm pleased that the United States accepted Korea's offer to fully fund the labor costs of Koreans working on U.S. military installations through the rest of the year. This is a measure I've called for and I fully support it. This will enhance joint U.S. – Korean readiness, remove hardship for thousands of Korean workers, deter North Korean aggression, and demonstrate our mutual and strong support for the Alliance between our two countries. I hope this will rekindle talks over a new Special Measures Agreement and bring these discussions to a fair and equitable conclusion."

Rep. Bera is a strong supporter of the U.S. – Korean alliance, and serves as Co-Chair of the Korea Caucus. In March, he led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper calling for the funding of Korean salaries until a new Special Measures Agreement is reached. Rep. Bera also penned an op-ed with Dr. Victor Cha in the Washington Post urging the U.S. to reach a cost-sharing agreement with South Korea so the two countries could focus on the near- and long-term threats posed by the North Korean regime.