A candlelight vigil in November 30, 2002 to protest against a “not-guilty” verdict against three U.S. soldiers who were involved in a training accident in which two Korean middle school girls were crushed to death under an armored vehicle. Must Korea Prepare for Divorce From the U.S.?

Dennis Halpin, an advisor to the House of Representatives International Relations Committee, said Congress considered resolutions commemorating U.S. relations with Asian allies like Korea, Taiwan and Japan in late 2003, but the Korean resolution failed to pass.

Halpin said at an academic conference held by the Korean Association for International Studies at the Hotel Capital in Itaewon-dong, Seoul on Friday that he worked to push a resolution to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Korea alliance, but it was unable to win the support of any influential lawmakers and died a quiet death. He said the memories of U.S. flags being burnt in downtown Seoul were too fresh.

According to Halpin, the resolution was backed by the U.S. House of Representative's "Korea Caucus," a group of lawmakers with a particular interest in Korea. This would mean the caucus, launched in January 2003 by 58 lawmakers ahead of the 50-year anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, failed in its first project. Halpin said the resolution found no support in the House International Relations Committee.

But resolutions marking the 150th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and the U.S. and the 25th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act passed with overwhelming support.

Halpin is close to the International Relations Committee's hardline chairman, Henry Hyde, as whose aide he served. He said on March 4 Hyde's recent taunt to South Korea that it must make up its mind who the enemy is before it can count on U.S. support was revealing of a rift between Seoul and Washington.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate in November 2003 passed a resolution commending the 50 anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

(englishnews@chosun.com )