[칼럼] Korea Story 9 - Foreign Affairs and National Security 1 by Jeong-kee Kim

(NewsKorea=Seoul) Digital News Team =   Korea Story 9 - <Foreign Affairs and National Security 1  by Jeong-kee Kim>

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● The ROK-US alliance is the way for South Korea to survive.

The five years of the Moon Jae-in administration were a dark time for the majority of people who believed in liberal democracy and the market economy. The central axis that protected it was the ROK-US alliance, but in the process of coming to the brink of dissolution, it was reduced to a germ of the international community. What's more, at which international conference did a prominent moderator say, 'Korea is not an ally of the United States'?  

What exactly is an alliance? In its dictionary definition, it is a relationship in which parties pledge to act together. In other words, it is about coming together for mutual interests or objectives. The etymology of the word "alliance" breaks down to al>ad (=to, near, intensive) + li>lig (=bind) + ance (=that which), which signifies "coming together closely or completely." The most important element of an alliance is trust. Maintaining trust requires constant mutual effort. The fact that the ROK-US relationship was restored to a close relationship as if compensating for the five years lost in the ROK-US alliance after the Yoon Seok-yeol administration came into power is proof that the Republic of Korea's national fortunes have not waned.

During the era of the Unified Dynasties, Korea established a tributary relationship with China within the China-centered East Asian order. After China was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Japan dominated the East Asian order until 1945. Japan was the first East Asian country to form an alliance with Britain through the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, first in 1902 and then in 1905. It was partly to check Russia's southward advance by Britain, the world's most powerful country at the time, but in terms of content, it was to recognize each other's special interests: Britain's interests in China, and Japan's interests in Korea. Although not an alliance, the Katsura-Taft Agreement was a mutual recognition of the United States' rule over the Philippines and Japan's rule over the Korean Empire, and Japan, which succeeded in the Meiji Restoration and won the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, colonized the Korean Peninsula with the approval of the world's leading countries. It was a direct opportunity to push forward and stand tall as a world power. In this way, an alliance system with powerful countries is essential on the international stage, and except in special cases, powerful countries do not form bilateral alliances with weak countries.

The formation of the US-South Korea alliance was also a lengthy process. On August 15, 1945, as a victorious nation in World War II, the US liberated the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule and administered the southern part of the peninsula for three years. The US played a decisive role in the establishment of the South Korean government on August 15, 1948. Despite this, the US had little interest in the newly independent South Korea. This contrasted sharply with the situation in Japan, where General MacArthur, ruling as a living emperor for seven years, managed Japan with meticulous and organized plans under the "postwar reconstruction plan." In other words, from the perspective of the US, which had to act as the world's police state during the Cold War, Korea's strategic position in East Asia was a secondary concern after Japan. Japan was seen as the last bastion of liberal democracy and market economy in East Asia. Ironically, the US’s interest in Korea increased due to the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. President Truman, a staunch anti-communist, declared immediate intervention and demonstrated agility by involving UN forces and building an international coalition. To put it simply, the blood that soldiers shed during the Korean War was paid for their sacrifice. 

After World War II ended in 1945, the world rapidly shifted from a multipolar system centered on the UK, France, Germany, and Russia to a bipolar system centered on the US and the Soviet Union. The US, representing the democratic bloc, formed a multi-alliance through NATO in Europe and entered into mutual alliances with Korea, Japan, and the Philippines in Asia. The US-Japan Security Treaty signed in 1951 was part of the management of a defeated nation, while the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951 was part of the US's colonial management over half a century. However, there was another reason why the United States, the world's most powerful country, signed the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty with Korea in 1953 and entered into a bilateral military alliance system. In other words, during the Korean War, President Syngman Rhee made a winning move against Truman, who had no interest in the ROK-US alliance, by getting him released as an anti-communist.

According to the US-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty, US troops were stationed in South Korea, which helped prevent a second Korean War and allowed for security without bearing the full cost. Thus, the leaders of South Korea succeeded in laying the foundation for a democratic state in the 1950s, with Syngman Rhee’s political accomplishments, and in establishing an industrial base in the 1960s and 70s with Park Chung-hee’s economic achievements. This miraculous history was made possible largely due to the partnership with the United States.

The geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula force us to stand in line. Maybe this is the fate of the Korean people. There is no secret plan for survival. It is with the central order of the world. In other words, it sticks to the side with the strongest strength. The United States still overwhelmingly leads the world's political, economic, and military order. The United States is the only democratic country in the world where the system of checks and balances based on the separation of powers operates and the rule of law is implemented. It is a country that is doing this, and it is a country that shows an overwhelming superiority in power by spending more than $850 billion in defense spending, which is more than the combined defense spending of the world's top 10 countries.

For the next 100 years, the US will maintain its status as the world’s hegemonic power. So, does that not provide the answer? Of course, in a unified Korea era, there could be a neutral stance with diplomacy balancing between the US and China. However, we must acknowledge the current reality of Korea's divided situation. From a military and security perspective, under the US-South Korea alliance, the US protects us, whereas under the North-China alliance, China protects North Korea. In other words, if a situation similar to a second Korean War occurs, the US and China would inevitably side with South Korea and North Korea, respectively, leaving us with no choice. President Yoon Suk-yeol's fundamentalist stance in foreign affairs and national security policy during the early days of his administration may be more beneficial than harmful. However, it is necessary to be somewhat cautious about acting as the United States' 'action leader' in the Russia-Ukraine war and China-Taiwan tensions beyond the powder keg of the Korean Peninsula. Just as the United States and the Soviet Union did not engage in an all-out war during the Cold War, the Korean Peninsula may become dangerous in that the United States and China during the new Cold War are likely to engage in proxy wars through their allies.

☆ Author:  Atty Jeong-kee Kim ☆

● Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, State University of New York at Stony Brook
-  Doctor of Jurisprudence, Marquette University Law School
- Senior Executive Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
- Research Scholar in North Korean Studies, Peking University

● Experience
- Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai
- Commissioner General for the Korean Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo
- CEO, Asia-Pacific Local Government Network for Economic and Social Development (CityNet)
- Secretary General, World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization(WeGO)
- Law Clerk, Milwaukee Circuit Court, USA
- Senior Attorney-at-Law, Dr & Aju LLC
- Distinguished Visiting Professor, World Economy Research Institute, Nanjing University
- Research Professor, Institute of Oriental Studies, Peking University
- Distinguished Professor, Graduate School of Political Science, Kookmin University
- Chair Professor, Graduate School of Business, Dongguk University
- First President of Soongsil Cyber University

● Publications
- Georo English Studies Series for College Students [10 volumes] (Georo Publishing)
- I Challenge the Possibility of One Percent (Chosun Ilbo)
- The Art of Negotiation (Cheongnyonneongsin Publishing)
- Korea and the World (Chekmidum Publishing)