The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an annual defense policy bill, which includes maintenance of 28-thousand-500 American troops in South Korea.

The National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, worth 895-point-two billion U.S. dollars, passed the House on Friday with a vote of 217-199.

The overall defense budget increased nine billion dollars, or around one percent, from fiscal year 2024.

The bill highlighted the "sense of Congress" that the U.S. Defense Department should reinforce the alliance with South Korea by maintaining the presence of U.S. Forces Korea(USFK), reaffirming U.S. commitment to extended deterrence.

The House bill is set to be merged with the Senate's version of the bill for another round of voting before presidential authorization.