Enrolled HJR 4: Honoring the Alaska-Korea relationship; and celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea, the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, and the 120th anniversary of the first Korean immigration to the United States.
00Enrolled HJR 4 01 Honoring the Alaska-Korea relationship; and celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Mutual 02 Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea, the 70th anniversary of 03 the Korean Armistice Agreement, and the 120th anniversary of the first Korean immigration 04 to the United States. 05 _______________ 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS 2023 marks 70 years since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty 08 between the United States and the Republic of Korea, signed on October 1, 1953, and entered 09 into force November 17, 1954; and 10 WHEREAS 2023 marks 70 years since the signing of the Korean Armistice 11 Agreement, ending the hostilities of the Korean War; and 12 WHEREAS 2023 marks 120 years since the first immigration of Koreans to the 13 United States, when the SS Gaelic brought the first Korean immigrants to Hawaii; and 14 WHEREAS the United States and the Republic of Korea have longstanding ties 15 through trade, military cooperation, tourism, immigration, and many other areas; and 16 WHEREAS the United States and the Republic of Korea have been developing a 17 steadfast partnership, anchored in shared values and interests, tackling the most pressing
01 regional and global challenges, thereby evolving into a global comprehensive strategic 02 alliance; and 03 WHEREAS the United States and the Republic of Korea are major trade partners, 04 with about $169,000,000,000 of trade annually between the two nations in raw materials, 05 including crude oil and natural gas, and in finished goods, such as automobiles and 06 semiconductors; and 07 WHEREAS this state and the Republic of Korea engage in major trade, with about 08 $2,300,000,000 of trade annually between the state and the Republic of Korea, including 09 minerals, fish, and computer products; and 10 WHEREAS some large Korean companies operate in the state, including major air 11 cargo carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, which operate at the Ted Stevens Anchorage 12 International Airport; and 13 WHEREAS, each year, over 2,000,000 Korean travelers visit the United States and 14 1,000,000 travelers from the United States visit the Republic of Korea, contributing 15 substantially to the economies of each country; and 16 WHEREAS 7,000 Koreans and Korean Americans live in the state, contributing to 17 the rich history and culture of the state; and 18 WHEREAS the cities of Anchorage, Alaska, and Incheon, Republic of Korea, have 19 been sister cities since 1986, acknowledging the ties between the state and the Republic of 20 Korea and encouraging cultural and economic exchange; and 21 WHEREAS, since 2008, the state has celebrated Korea-Alaska Friendship Day on 22 June 20, acknowledging the longstanding ties, economic and cultural exchange, and 23 friendship between the state and the Republic of Korea; 24 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the strength and 25 longevity of the relationship between the state and the Republic of Korea as premier partners 26 in the Pacific region; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature acknowledges the 28 important anniversaries marking 70 years since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty and 29 the Korean Armistice Agreement, and 120 years since the first immigration of Koreans to the 30 United States; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature eagerly looks forward to
01 the continuation of the close relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea 02 and anticipates a growing relationship for years to come. 03 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President 04 of the United States; the Honorable Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea; the 05 Honorable Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea; the Honorable Antony 06 Blinken, United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs 07 of the Republic of Korea; the Honorable Lee Jong-Sup, Minister of National Defense of the 08 Republic of Korea; the Honorable Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense; the 09 Honourable Seo Eun-ji, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, Washington; the 10 Honorable Sang Seung-man, Consul and Head of the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in 11 Anchorage, Alaska; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, 12 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Mary Peltola, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska 13 delegation in Congress.