The purpose of this study is to examine the factors necessary to maintain
the stability of the ROK-US alliance, which plays a key role in South Korea's
security. Alliances are fundamentally formed between nations to protect their
respective interests ...
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors necessary to maintain
the stability of the ROK-US alliance, which plays a key role in South Korea's
security. Alliances are fundamentally formed between nations to protect their
respective interests and are formed out of mutual need. Maintaining this stability
requires both the efforts of each nation and the effective management of
conflicts. The stability factors of an alliance include: ① shared ideological
values, ② shared economic interests, ③ mutual trust and dependence, and ④
political support from the public. The conflict factors include: ① differing threat
perceptions and roles, ② conflicts stemming from political and public influence,
③ conflicts of economic interests, and ④ dilemmas in relations with neighboring
countries. Based on these stability and conflict factors, the ROK-US alliance
during the Moon Jae-in administration was analyzed. The results of the analysis
are as follows:
First, the stability factors of the ROK-US alliance during the Moon Jae-in
administration are discussed. First, the alliance shared ideological values such as
democracy and a market economy. Based on these shared ideological values,
South Korea and the US jointly worked to establish lasting peace on the Korean
Peninsula. Second, by establishing a cooperative relationship within the
Indo-Pacific strategy, a more stable alliance was maintained. Third, through the
signing of the revised Korea-US FTA and the conclusion of the Korea-US
currency swap, the alliance was maintained as a mutually beneficial economic
relationship. Furthermore, through active cooperation between Korea and the US
on various global issues, such as COVID-19, and through the development of a
comprehensive and strategic alliance of value, mutual trust and interdependence
were enhanced. Fourth, the alliance was further stabilized through the public's
unwavering support for the alliance.
The following are factors of conflict in the Korea-US alliance during the Moon
Jae-in administration. First, there was a significant difference in perception of
the North Korean threat from the US. Furthermore, there were differences in
perceptions of threats and roles, which form the foundation of the alliance, such
as the pursuit of independent national defense and the wartime operational
control(OPCON) transfer. Second, there were political and public influences, such
as President Trump's pursuit of an America First policy and the historical
differences in public perception. Third, economic interests clashed as the US's
protectionist stance intensified and the defense cost-sharing issue arose. Fourth,
the Moon Jae-in administration has found itself in a dilemma in its relations
with neighboring countries, maintaining strategic ambiguity between the United
States and China and differing from the United States in its perception of
China's role in improving relations with North Korea.