The Post-cold War Us-rok Alliance And Its Strategic Choice

The U.S.-Korean Alliance is a very important variable among Northeast Asian politics. TheAlliance, which emerged from the Cold War, based on South Korea's security fear to the Northand the U.S.'s containment to the expansion of Soviet Union. The end of the Cold War did notmake the Alliance disappear and furthermore, after a series of adjustment, we could not find theindication of the end of the Alliance. This essay holds the viewpoint that South Korea did not giveup the fear to security though the Cold War had already ended. Essentially speaking, this has beendetermined by the geo- characteristic of the peninsula. The peninsula faces security care all thetime, so nations on the peninsula strategically pay the utmost attention to how to guarantee thenational security. On the other hand, although the U.S. lies on the other side of the Pacific, in viewof its traditional and practical influence in East Asia, we can consider it as a great nation in EastAsia. The U.S. indeed experienced the absolute superiority period in East Asia without SovietUnion, however, along with the variety of the strength of great nations, America feels it maybefaces another challenge in Northeast Asia. Therefore, the U.S. has to pay more attention to itsalliance system here in order to maintain it permanently. To South Korea, the end of the Cold Warhas offered the opportunity of seeking the unity in peninsula, on the other hand, the emergence ofChina has changed the political structure of great nations in Northeast Asia and offered the reasonfor the change of South Korea's diplomatic strategy too. The author understands the U.S.-KoreanAlliance and its evolution from the angle of the politics of great nations and the national securityof South Korea and she also thinks this is the most direct and precise method to know and studythe U.S-Korean Alliance.