Congressman Brad Sherman

Representing the 32nd District of California

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DELEGATION URGES PRESIDENT TO LEAD ON U.S.-JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA TRILATERAL COOPERATION

  

Oct 28, 2019
Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Brad Sherman, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Asia, along with 13 other Members of Congress representing Southern California, urged President Donald Trump to address the escalating trade and security dispute between Japan and South Korea and proactively mediate between our Japanese and South Korean allies.

The letter states that “the deteriorating relations between key U.S. allies has the potential to dramatically impact Southern California economically.” As such, ensuring the continued trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea is a matter of utmost importance to Southern Californian communities and U.S. national security. As the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee noted in a similar September letter, “it is imperative for the United States to engage leaders in both capitals and help both sides find an ‘off-ramp’ to further escalation,” without taking sides.  

The Members of Congress also recalled a House resolution, H. Res. 127, introduced in February 2019, led by Representative Eliot L. Engel and Rep. Mike McCaul, Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Ted Yoho, Chair and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, reaffirming strong congressional support for the United States alliances with South Korea and Japan and the critical importance of trilateral cooperation. This resolution was agreed to in the House on September 24, 2019.

“America’s alliances with South Korea and Japan are the bedrock of security in Northeast Asia,” said Congressman Sherman. “We cannot let history prevent us from working together to meet the shared security challenges we face.”

 “The entire Korean American community in the United States expresses deep concern and earnest hope this dispute will be resolved in an amicable way,” said Casey KC Choi, President of the Korean American Public Action Committee. Dr. Laura Jeon, President of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, said, “It is our sincerest hope the letter urging President Trump to take action will ease tensions and normalize relations between our allies.”

The letter was signed by: Rep. Brad Sherman, House Foreign Affairs Committee Members Rep. Karen Bass, Chair of the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee, and Rep. Ted Lieu, as well as Southern California Members Rep. Harley Rouda, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Rep. Alan Lowenthal, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, Rep. J. Luis Correa, Rep. Katie Porter, and Rep. Tony Cárdenas.

To View the Letter, Click Here: https://sherman.house.gov/sites/sherman.house.gov/files/10-24-2019%20BJS%20et%20al%20to%20Trump%20on%20South%20Korea%20and%20Japan%20Dispute.pdf