'I beat BTS to Capitol Hill!' South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses US Congress

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress on Thursday. Yoon told the lawmakers that trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States was necessary to counter increasing North Korean nuclear threats. On the fourth day of his visit to the United States, he also said that the world must not "shy away" from promoting freedom for the North.

Yoon is currently in the US to mark the 70th anniversary of the US-South Korean alliance. A packed House of Representatives chamber comprising members of the House and Senate greeted Yoon with a standing ovation and repeated loud cheers.

At the House, he also spoke about the war in Ukraine and vowed that South Korea would actively work to safeguard the freedom of the people of Ukraine and support their reconstruction efforts.

Yoon thanked the US for its sacrifice to defend freedom against communism in the 1950-53 Korean War. He also mentioned the work of 19th-century US missionaries to advance women's status in Korea.

"Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom," he said.

However, North Korea was the main issue at hand, and Yoon told Congress the alliance must stand united to deter North's "reckless behaviour". He highlighted that after years of strained relations with Japan, Seoul was resuming harmonious relations with Tokyo.

"Along with close Korea-US coordination, we need to speed up Korea-US-Japan trilateral security cooperation to counter increasing North Korean nuclear threats."

Yoon became the seventh South Korean leader to address Congress, underscoring the close relationship between Seoul and Washington.

Earlier on Wednesday, Yoon met President Joe Biden at the White House. As North continues to grow its arsenal of missiles and weapons, Washington pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning.

Addressing Congress is mostly reserved only for the closest US allies or major world figures. The last such address was by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in December.

Yoon condemned Russia's war against Ukraine, calling it a violation of international law and vowed to help Ukraine, "just as democracies had helped Seoul in the Korean War".

"We will actively work to safeguard the freedom of the people of Ukraine and support their efforts in reconstruction," he said.

On a lighter note, Yoon noted the deep cultural ties between the two countries in film, TV, and music such as BTS.

“BTS beat me to the White House — but I beat them to Capitol Hill!” he told lawmakers.

The South Korean leader closed with the line, “God bless our alliance", inviting roaring cheers from those present.

(With inputs from agencies)

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