The Cold War And The Cultural Activities Of The U.S. In South Korea (1961-1969)

During the Cold War,as its competition for hegemony with the Soviet Union continued to escalate,the United States government progressively moved the main battlefield from Europe to the Third World.Within this context,South Korea became the primary base in Asia.Furthermore,the US government was convinced of the need to reconstruct the South Korean cultural sphere in order to resist the threat of communism.By effectively transplanting its own political culture as well as its own conception of advanced culture,the US government sought to achieve the westernization of the Republic of Korea.From President Truman through Presidents Kennedy and Johnson,the U.S gradually integrated culture into the scope of foreign policy by creating both the United States Information Agency and the Peace Corps. Cultural activity thus became a tool of cold war be consistent throughout strategy.From John F.Kennedy to Lyndon B.Johnson(1961-1969),the United States played a pivotal role in the political,economic,military,and cultural reconstruction of the ROK.The United States undertook this project from several angles,including education,mass media,and the community activities,and the goal was to propagate anti-communist ideology,to promote American values,and to try to make South Korea into a model of "westernization" in East Asia.However,as the Korean economy and the strength of ROKG continued to grow,these lopsided relationship began to change to some extent.The main goal of this thesis is to analyze US cultural strategy and policy towards the ROK in 1961-1969 as well as the Korean government and public's response to it. It also attempts to demonstrate the importance of the concept of "culture" during the Cold War and argues that culture has a more far-reaching influence than politics,the military,or economy.This argument is based upon an analysis of the cultural exchange policies of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.This article is divided into four chapters,plus an introduction and conclusion.The introduction summarizes the significance of the topic,reviews the existing scholarship on it,and explains the research methods and central ideas.The first chapter gives an overall summary of American cultural activities in South Korea during the Cold War, explains their particularity,and outlines the Cold War strategy of the U.S., emphasizing the important role played by the United States Information Agency (USIA).The second chapter discusses the main policy toward Korea and the cultural activities during the times of John F.Kennedy,especially with respect to education and mass media activities.Chapterâ…¢focuses on the analysis of the cultural strategy of President Johnson,once again from the two aspects of education and mass communication.Chapterâ…£outlines the characteristics of the cultural activities of the U.S.during the cold war(1961-1969).Partâ…¥,the conclusion,attempts an overall summary of the full text,discussing US-South Korea cultural exchanges during the Cold War,their characteristics,and their practical significance with respect to Chinese foreign policy of the period.