; Whereas the United States assures its ironclad security commitment to the Republic of Korea, including the United States extended deterrent underpinned by the full range of United States capabilities; Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea alliance was forged in shared sacrifice, with 1,789,000 United States soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines serving during the Korean war, of whom 36,574 paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives in defense of the Republic of Korea, including 7,174 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army soldiers, and over 7,500 members of the United States Armed Forces remain classified by the Department of Defense as missing in action; Whereas casualties of the Republic of Korea were more than 217,000 soldiers killed, more than 291,000 wounded, and over 1,000,000 civilians killed or missing; Whereas the Republic of Korea has since its founding become a thriving democracy with a vibrant press and commitment to the rule of law and a free market economy; Whereas the United States-Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting met on November 3, 2022, in the District of Columbia and shared their common understanding that the U.S.-ROK Alliance is based on the same principles and shared values including: mutual trust, freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law ; Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea are committed to pursuing closely coordinated diplomatic efforts through a shared strategy to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula; Whereas the Republic of Korea’s 2022 Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region emphasizes its desire to be a global pivotal state that commits to working with other key nations both within and beyond the region to foster a free and peaceful region … while strengthening the rules-based international order