Bill on Korean Shanghai gov’t in U.S. Congress

U.S. lawmakers this week introduced a resolution recognizing the establishment of Korea’s provisional government in China in 1919.

The resolution was submitted to both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday ahead of the 100th anniversary of the April 11 launch of the government-in-exile in Shanghai during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

The U.S. Congress “recognizes the formation of the Provisional Government 100 years ago as fundamental to the vibrancy, success, and prosperity of the Republic of Korea’s democracy today,” according to the text.

A Korean government official hailed the resolution as a meaningful action by Congress to formally recognize the provisional government.

“It’s the first time that the provisional government’s establishment has been recorded in a U.S. congressional resolution,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

The House resolution was sponsored by Rep. Thomas Suozzi and cosponsored by four other lawmakers across the aisle, including Rep. Grace Meng and Rep. Peter King.

In the Senate, it was sponsored by Senator James Lankford and cosponsored by Senators Bob Menendez, Cory Gardner and Edward Markey. The resolution also says Congress recognizes the “vital role” the two countries’ alliance plays in promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Moreover, it calls for strengthening and broadening diplomatic, economic and security ties between the two nations, and reaffirms that their alliance is “central to advancing American interests and engagement in the region.”

Yonhap