1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with US Representative Tom MacArthur (Republican, New Jersey) at the Foreign Ministry on October 17, and asked for support from the US Congress to make President Trump’s state visit to the ROK on November 7-8 a success.

o Representative MacArthur said that no ally is more important than the ROK, and not only he himself but the US Congress will continue to work together with the ROK on President Trump’s visit to the ROK.

2. Minister Kang said she knows that Representative MacArthur is a parent who adopted two children from the ROK, and explained that a number of Korean adoptees in the US are living in fear of being deported even for minor offenses, as they haven’t obtained US citizenship due to lack of relevant institutions in the past or because their American adoptive parents did not complete the adoption process. Minister Kang asked the US Congress to look into the issue on humanitarian grounds.

o Representative MacArthur said that after he goes back to the US, he will discuss possible solutions with members of the Congress interested in the issue.

3. Representative MacArthur said that he thinks free trade is the best way for both countries, and that he will work towards continued progress of the ROK-US FTA.

o Minister Kang explained the mutually-beneficial results that the ROK-US FTA have brought in each area, including cases about Korean companies’ investment in New Jersey, which Representative MacArthur represents. She also asked for cooperation from the US Congress to make sure that the discussions on the ROK-US FTA underway between the two countries’ trade authorities go smoothly.


* unofficial translation