A U.S. congressman has issued a congressional statement welcoming South Korean President Park Geun-hye's planned visit to Washington and expressing support for her visions for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
  
Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), whose father fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, said South Korea is one of "America's greatest foreign policy success stories," as well as an "indispensable ally" and the "linchpin of regional peace and stability."
  
"Korean President Park Geun-hye will be visiting Washington in mid-October. Her visit is a timely and meaningful one, and I offer my expression of welcome and support for a productive and successful trip," the lawmaker said in the "Extension of Remarks"
statement issued last week.
  
The lawmaker said he applauds and supports Park's peace visions, such as the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, her push for unification and a proposal to create an international peace park at the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas.
  
Reed also pledged to support a pending bill that calls for providing up to 15,000 professional visas for South Koreans as well as the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the two countries.
  
"The U.S.-Korea alliance is at its strongest ever and yet our alliance will continue to be tested as was evidenced in light of recent North Korean provocations. It is important we remain ever vigilant and resolute in our alliance to counter any and all threats that could lead to instability on the Korean Peninsula,"
the lawmaker said.
  
"In the Congress, I will do all I can to support and defend our great ally and friend -- the Republic of Korea -- and I urge my colleagues to do the same," he said. (Yonhap)