Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced H.R. 2449, legislation to extend for two years the current U.S.-South Korea civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement, which will expire in March 2014.  Chairman Royce issued the following statement upon the legislation’s introduction:

“Extending the current U.S.-South Korea civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement for two years will allow the negotiators time to focus on substantive matters instead of the clock.  Our nuclear partnership has been of great economic importance to both countries for several decades.  As we continue to strengthen our alliance with our long-time ally, we must ensure that our cooperation in this area continues to grow so that we can take full advantage of the many new opportunities that await us.” 

Note:  Earlier this year, Chairman Royce led a bipartisan delegation to South Korea where he met with then-President-Elect Park Geun-hye and members of the Korean National Assembly.  Former Chairman of the U.S.-Republic of Korea Interparliamentary Exchange, Royce was also one of the leading champions of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

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