Senior U.S. lawmakers to visit Seoul next week

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Eight U.S. Congress members will visit South Korea next week as part of high-level exchanges between the allies, as their governments seek the parliamentary ratifications of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), the foreign ministry said Thursday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), currently the top-ranking Republican in Congress, is scheduled to arrive here on Monday for a two-day trip.
McConnell will be accompanied by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).
They plan to meet with Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and South Korean lawmakers to exchange views on strengthening the security alliance, the strategic environment in East Asia and the FTA, the ministry said in a press release.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Virginia) will make a separate visit to Seoul from Sunday through Tuesday for talks with the foreign minister and Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, the ministry said.
Webb, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was a key figure in passing a resolution last December condemning North Korea for shelling a South Korean island.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Reed (R-New York) and Rep. Karen Bass (D-California) are scheduled to arrive here on Sunday for a five-day stay, during which they will meet the foreign minister, visit the National Assembly and tour industrial sites.
The two belong to an interest group among legislators known as the Korea Caucus. Their trips have been arranged under the South Korean government-sponsored Congressional Member Exchange Program, the same project that brought Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-California), co-chair of the Korea Caucus, to Seoul last month.
hague@yna.co.kr