By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday aimed at helping South Korea purchase American weapons systems cheaper and faster in order to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance, as well as increase interoperability between the two countries' militaries.
The legislation calls for raising Seoul's status in the foreign military sales (FMS) program involving government-to-government sales of defense products. Under the bill, South Korea will be granted the same status as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and three FMS-favored nations ― Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
The legislation requires approval by the Senate before U.S. President George W. Bush can sign it.
Despite its huge arms deals with the U.S. government, South Korea has been categorized as a major ``non-NATO'' ally since 1987. Under the lower FMS status, South Korea has to pay an extra 1.7 percent of the total cost of weapons, far more than the 0.2 percent to 1 percent paid by NATO member states and favored countries.
The new bill calls for revision of related U.S. laws, such as overseas support and arms export control laws, to give Congress 15 days to decide whether to approve an arms sale to South Korea, instead of the normal requirement of 30-50 days.
The bill is also aimed at simplifying procedures during Congressional deliberation. The U.S. government is required to notify Congress of all proposed defense equipment sales exceeding $25 million, up from the current $14 million under the bill.
South Korea has purchased $6.9 billion worth of American weapons over the past 10 years, making the country one of the biggest arms importers from the United States.
In a summit with President Lee Myung-bak at Camp David last April, President Bush pledged his government would work hard to help raise South Korea's FMS status as part of efforts to develop a future-oriented strategic partnership.