By Reporter Lee Jae-hwa

Kim Jin-pyo, Speaker of the National As­sembly, held talks wi t h fo rmer US House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife at the Speaker's office on the afternoon of May 4, discussing ways to strength­en the ROK-US alliance and activate parliamentary diplo­macy.

Former Speaker Gingrich served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999 and has been active in various capacities, including as an advisor to the Foreign Policy Association since retiring. His wife served as US Ambassador to the Holy See from 2017 to 2021.

Kim said, "Gingrich has worked hard to promote the de­velopment and strengthening of the ROK-US alliance as a strong supporter of the alliance over the years." He requested that Gingrich continue to sup­port and provide assistance in making the relationship be­tween the two countries even stronger, especially in light of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance this year.

Kim added, "Since coopera­tion at the parliamentary level is also important for strength­ening the ROK-US alliance, I plan to visit the United States in early June to lay the founda­tion for ROK-US alliance sup­port within the US Congress." He also requested active sup­port for the establishment of a "US-Korea Congressional Caucus," which would provide institutional support for par­liamentary exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, given that the ROK National Assembly adopted a resolution commemorating the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance in February, which included the establishment of such a caucus.

In response, former Speaker Gingrich expressed agreement with the idea of establishing a parliamentary caucus between the two countries, saying it was a "very good idea," and pledged to actively support the success of Speaker Kim's visit to the United States by convey­ing relevant matters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help ensure that a resolution com­memorating the 70th anniver­sary of the ROK-US alliance is adopted by the US Congress. He also provided advice re­garding Speaker Kim's upcom­ing visit to the United States.

The two also expressed concerns about the growing nuclear and missile threats and provocations from North Korea and discussed response measures. Speaker Kim em­phasized that "North Korea's ability to develop nuclear and missile capabilities despite economic difficulties is due to illegal cyber activities," adding that "the international commu­nity needs to cooperate to block North Korea's illegal cyber ac­tivities." Former Speaker Gin­grich agreed, saying that "if US citizens living in Korea are threatened by North Korea's attacks,