A group of U.S. Congress members said they commend and applaud South Korea for hosting the Third Summit for Democracy next week, which was launched through the leadership of U.S. President Joe Biden.

In a bipartisan letter of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Friday, the group, including Republican Joe Wilson and Mike Kelly along with Democrat Gerry Connolly, said they fully support Seoul's initiative and encourage Washington's continued cooperation for the summit's success.

The lawmakers said having risen from the ashes of war, South Korea has become one of the closest allies of the U.S. and a vibrant democracy that best exemplifies the alliance's joint efforts to defend democracy around the world.

Referring to North Korea's military provocations and hostile threats against the South, the group said such actions pose a serious risk for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

On the Washington Declaration signed by the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. last year, in which they agreed to establish the Nuclear Consultative Group to bolster America's extended deterrence, the group said it underscores the importance of maintaining a ready posture for the ironclad alliance.