Korean American Vietnam Allies Long Overdue for Relief Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for yielding.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 366, the Korean American VALOR Act. I thank Ranking Member Takano for his leadership on this very important issue.

During his joint address to Congress, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol highlighted that during the Korean war, ``Korean and American soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder and fought bravely.''

However, the Korean war was not the last time Korean soldiers fought alongside American troops. They fought side by side in the Vietnam war, sharing the same physical and mental scars from that conflict.

Many of these Korean troops eventually immigrated to the United States and became proud naturalized American citizens. I personally know several of these individuals, and I am eternally grateful for their service.

Unfortunately, because the United States does not currently have a reciprocal veterans' healthcare agreement with the Republic of Korea, these Korean Americans cannot access veterans' healthcare benefits. The Korean American VALOR Act will create a pathway for an agreement to be reached and for these veterans to receive access to VA healthcare. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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