The Evolution of the South Korea–United States Alliance

Reflecting the fact that the US–ROK alliance is a typical defensive alliance against the North Korean threat, many books and articles on the alliance are written with a threat-centric focus. In examining the evolution of the alliance over the past 65 years, this book also points out that North Korean threat assessment and deterrence has been a major source of the alliance’s evolution. In addition, adopting the development power theory as a theoretical framework, this book claims that South Korea’s democratization and economic development have also been sources. In that sense, this book is a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the US–South Korea alliance. As with a typical asymmetrical alliance, the United States has provided security to South Korea, and in return, the latter has given up a certain degree of its autonomy to the former. Heo and Roehrig observe that the alliance has undergone adjustments over the past 65 years in such a way that it has become less and less asymmetrical over time. First, since South Korea’s democratization in 1987, there have been varieties of governments representing progressive and conservative political forces. The progressive governments have put more emphasis on rectifying the asymmetrical nature of the alliance, often with strong support from the South Korean public, which has become freer and more vocal in expressing anti-American and anti-alliance sentiments. Second, with its economic development, South Korea has increased its military capabilities, which has enabled it to expand the scope of the alliance more regionally and globally commensurate with its increased economic status. Also, the alliance has evolved into a growing partnership that has an economic dimension, as well as a security one, as demonstrated by the signing of the KORUS FTA. As a result, the alliance has become less asymmetrical and has moved toward a cooperative partnership

Alliance · Autonomy · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies · Law

• Nodal defence

  Luis Simón, Alexander Lanoszka et al.•Journal of Strategic Studies•2021

  Add to list