South Korean president quotes Reagan to warn about Kim Jong Un in address to Congress

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South Korean president quotes Reagan to warn about Kim Jong Un in address to Congress

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed a joint meeting of Congress Thursday on Capitol Hill, where he said North Korea poses a 'serious threat' to peace.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke before the U.S. Congress Thursday, evoking a famous speech by former President Reagan.

North Korea, South Korea's northern neighbor born out of the communist side of the Korean War, was a central topic of Yoon's address 

"But even as we walked in unison for freedom for 70 years, there is one regime determined to pursue a wrong path. That is North Korea," Yoon told Congress.

"The difference is strong between Seoul that chose freedom and democracy and a Pyongyang that chose dictatorship and communism. North Korea has abandoned freedom and prosperity and dismissed peace. 

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South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol waves as he arrives to address a joint meeting of Congress Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The trip by South Korea's president comes amid escalating tensions with North Korea, which claimed Thursday that U.S.-South Korea military drills are "pushing the security situation of the Korean peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war."

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(L-R) Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., listen as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023.  (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

"North Korea's nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond," Yoon said Thursday. "To deter [North Korea's] behavior, the alliance must stand united with determination."

Yoon evoked former President Reagan in his remarks, quoting the leader's famous "A Time for Choosing" speech.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol April 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"As President Reagan once said, ‘There is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance,’" Yoon said.

"We must make his words clear to North Korea."

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Vice President Kamala Harris after he delivered remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol April 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Yoon, who first entered politics two years ago to run for president of the Republic of Korea, and first lady Kim Keon Hee joined President Biden and first lady Jill Biden for a state dinner Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance. 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.