Vision and Challenges of the ROK-US Alliance

EAI is pleased to announce the publication of "Vision and Challenges of the ROK-US Alliance," the report from the ROK-US Alliance Research Team, following two years of dedicated research. In September 2004, EAI assembled a research team of 19 individuals, comprising a 3-person working group and a 16-person forum group, to envision the future of the ROK-US alliance and propose concrete pathways forward. The ROK-US Alliance Research Team identified the difficulties in the alliance as stemming from the conflict between the South Korean government's post-Cold War logic and the US government's transformation logic. As a prescription, the team proposed a "complex alliance" that transcends both Cold War and post-Cold War alliances.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: An Alliance at a Crossroads

1. The Current State of the ROK-US Alliance: Green Light or Red Light?

2. Key Issues in Alliance Transformation

3. Alternatives for the Future ROK-US Alliance

Chapter 2: Drivers of Change in the ROK-US Alliance

1. Global Dimension: Changes in US National Security and Global Strategy

2. East Asian Dimension: Regional Power Balance and Intensifying Transformation Debates

3. Korean Peninsula Dimension: Easing of Inter-Korean Tensions

4. Domestic Dimension: Public Opinion on a Horizontal Alliance

Chapter 3: South Korea and the United States Need Each Other

1. Shared Complex National Interests

2. Security Situations Requiring Alliance Partners

3. Desirable ROK-US Relations in the 21st Century

Chapter 4: Vision for the Future ROK-US Alliance

1. Vision and Objectives for a Future Alliance

2. Essential Components of a Future Alliance

Chapter 5: Implementation Roadmap for Realizing a Future Alliance

1. Desirable Adjustment Alternative: Comprehensive Transformation and Complexity

2. Sectoral Roadmap

Chapter 6: Recommendations for a 21st Century Complex Alliance

Appendix

Authors

ROK-US Alliance Research Team

Advisors

Kim Kyung-won, Senior Advisor, Kim & Chang; EAI Director

Co-Chairpersons

Kim Jae-chang, Former Deputy Commander, ROK-US Combined Forces Command

Ha Young-sun, Professor, Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seoul National University; EAI Director

Research Team

Kim Byung-kook, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Korea University; EAI President

Kim Sung-han, Professor, Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security

Kim Young-ho, Professor, Department of International Relations, National Defense University

Kim Il-young, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Sungkyunkwan University

Kim Tae-hyun, Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Chung-Ang University

Kim Tae-hyo, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Sungkyunkwan University

Park Chul-hee, Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University

Park Jong-chul, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Institute for National Unification

Shin Sung-ho, Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University

Shin Wook-hee, Professor, Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seoul National University

Lee Nae-young, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Korea University

Lee Sang-hyun, Head, Security Studies Division, Sejong Institute

Lee Si-young, Professor, Department of International Trade, Chung-Ang University

Jeon Jae-sung, Professor, Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seoul National University

Chung Won-chil, Senior Researcher, EAI

Chung Han-wool, Senior Researcher, EAI

Cha Doo-hyun, Team Leader, Defense Issues Team, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses

Choi Kang, Professor, Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security

For the convenience of our readers, portions of the manuscript are made available.