U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, received a friendship award Tuesday in recognition of his contribution to relations between South Korea and the United States.

Royce, known as one of the strongest advocates for the alliance between the two countries, received the award from the Korean-American Association, a nonprofit organization that has worked to promote the friendship and alliance.

Former South Koren Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo, who heads the association, presented the award to Royce in a ceremony at Congress.

The association, which was established in 1963, has given the award every year since 2002. Previous recipients included former U.S. Ambassadors to South Korea Donald Gregg and Kathleen Stephens and former U.S. Forces Korea commander Walter Sharp.

Royce has long been a big supporter of South Korea as well as Korean Americans in the U.S.

In particular, he's provided a key congressional voice in support of South Korea in the country's rows with Japan over the sovereignty of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo and Japan's refusal to apologize for its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency early this year, Royce said categorically that "Dokdo" is the proper name to refer to the East Sea islets, recognizing South Korea's sovereignty over the islets and rejecting Japan's claims. He has made similar remarks later.

In 2007, he played a key role in the unanimous adoption of a House resolution calling for Japan to apologize for the sexual slavery issue. This year, he also issued a statement berating Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for failing to offer a clear apology for the atrocity.

Royce has also worked hard for denuclearization of the North and improvement of the communist nation's human rights records.

He's the author of legislation that calls for strengthening sanctions on Pyongyang. The bill, which was introduced earlier this year, is pending in Congress. (Yonhap)