Research Of South Korea Military Policy By The United States(1969—1981)

The official signing of the US-South Korea Joint Defense Treaty in 1953 marked the formation of formal military relationships between the two countries.Since then,the United States has fully assumed responsibility for South Korea's security obligations,and South Korea has become an important bulwark for the United States' efforts to curb the spread of communist forces in Northeast Asia.However,in the 1970 s,with the development of the situation and the relative decline in its own strength,the United States needed to adjust its own global strategy and its allies-related policy to cope with changes of the situation.South Korea,as an important ally of the United States in Asia,has undoubtedly become an important target for the United States to adjust its foreign military policy.In the 1970 s,as an important transition period of the United States' global strategy for the cold war,its military policies towards South Korea have undergone great adjustment compared to the past,showcasing obvious representation.With the purpose of better examine the specific content and substantive connotations of the US military policy towards South Korea during this period,this dissertation analyzes the military policy of the United States concerning South Korea in the 1970 s via employing multidisciplinary research methods,such as history and international politics,carrying out in-depth explanation of the original archives and exploring the US military strategy against South Korea during the administrations of Nixon,Ford and Carter.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,the dissertation consists of five chapters,specifically:The first chapter is about background introduction,focusing on the US military policy towards South Korea since World War II,respectively describing the content and implementation of the military policy to its Asian ally during the period of Truman,Eisenhower,Kennedy,and Johnson.The second chapter discusses the US military policy to South Korea during the Nixon period.During the term of President Nixon,the United States adjusted its national security strategy and proposed "Nixonism".Its essence is to slow the pace of US global expansion and shrink its overseas expansion plans in a timely manner in order to cast off its difficulties in Asia,which was specifically embodied in the military policy to South Korea,the partial withdrawal of US troops stationed in South Korea and the modernization of the South Korean army.On the issue of the withdrawal of US troops in South Korea,there has been a lasting debate within the US government and between the two countries.The strong attitude of Park Chung Hee's regime to resist the US troops' withdrawal has eventually enabled the United States government to agree to support the modernization of South Korea's military to achieve the withdrawal of its military forces.The adjustment of the US military policy toward South Korea is an important part of the changes of its strategies concerning East Asia and even the whole world.Meanwhile,the partial withdrawal of US troops in South Korea has further aggravated the distrust of the United States with South Korea,becoming one of the important causes of South Korea's pursuit of self-reliance and secret development of nuclear weapons in the early 1970 s.The third chapter analyzes the adjustment and implementation of the military policy to South Korea during the Ford government period due to the new changes occurred domestically in the US and the international situation accordingly.During the Ford administration,the United States implemented the "Pacificism" in the Asia-Pacific region.Under the guidance of the new military security policy,the Ford government has formulated military strategic measures,including maintaining the military presence in South Korea,enhancing its self-protection capabilities and etc.It has not only inherited the strategic contraction policy of the Nixon period,but also highlighted the presence and involvement of the United States military in the Asia-Pacific region.However,as the Ford government did not make new commitments to South Korea or put in new military forces,the Ford government's military policy toward South Korea,essentially speaking,is the continuation and development of “Nixonism” under the new situation in Asia.The fourth chapter analyzes and studies the US military policy toward South Korea during the Carter administration.The Carter administration's policy toward South Korea has resulted in the relationships between the two countries reaching the bottom,bringing about the peak since the establishment of the US-South Korea alliance.On the military front,the Carter government continued to implement a strategically-contracted military policy.The most prominent issue in the military relations between the United States and South Korea during this period---Carter's policy of fully withdrawing US ground troops stationed in South Korea has not only led to heated discussions within the US government,but was boycotted by the South Korean government as well.The withdrawal strategy became one of the three major incidents that damaged the US-South Korea relationship in the late 1970 s.The conclusion part,while conducting the macro generalization and summarization of the US military policy to South Korea in the 1970 s,discusses the characteristics in this regard.