For the past five years, U.S.-Korea relations under the Roh Moo-hyun administration in Seoul and the Bush administration in Washington have witnessed both progress and peril. On a working level there have been some notable achievements: successful negotiation of a free trade agreement; real progress on difficult alliance issues such as base relocation, a new status of forces agreement, and the transfer of wartime operational control; broader international cooperation in areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and even Lebanon; and more recently, close cooperation in the Six Party Talks related to North Korea’s nuclear program.

This same period, however, has seen a political-level crisis in U.S.-ROK relations with some lawmakers and opinion leaders on both sides of the Pacific, calling into question the very nature of the alliance. Very real divergence over respective policy approaches to North Korea, differing views of major power relations in Northeast Asia, and the lack of established personal and political relationships have all contributed to considerable lack of trust and mutual misunderstanding.

In historical retrospect, the accomplishments of this era will likely be recognized. However, in a political arena in which words matter, the widely perceived weakness in adequately articulating the importance of the U.S.-ROK alliance and in accurately advocating for steps to improve perceptions of the relationship have by almost any measure weakened the political relationship.

This dynamic can in part be best understood by the political climate in Seoul.

In sharp contrast, the incoming administration of President Lee Myung-bak takes over the reins in Seoul in a climate in which there appears to have been a reevaluation of the U.S.-ROK relationship by the South Korea body politic.

Perhaps due to the North Korea nuclear test, the controversy surrounding China’s historical claims on the ancient kingdom of Kokuryo, and the stark relief in which the alliance was placed by the negotiations on the transfer of wartime operational control, a sizable majority of South Korean voters clearly indicated their preference for an improvement in U.S.-Korean relations in Korea’s December 2007 elections. As this is the political base to which President Lee Myung-bak will be beholden, the current transition in Seoul likely represents a new political reality in Seoul.

In order to better understand this reality, the Mansfield Foundation, with the support of the Korea Foundation, launched an effort to explore the likely political changes in Seoul and make recommendations for how Korea and the United States might work toward a more common approach in five key areas: North Korea policy, denuclearization, a Northeast Asian peace and security mechanism, trade and investment, and alliance maintenance. As part of this project we solicited papers from five leading American scholars. We asked each paper writer to address his particular topic in the context of the new political realities in Seoul, but more importantly, to explore how greater coordination and cooperation between Washington and Seoul in these key areas might be achieved. ...

Download Understanding New Political Realities in Seoul: Working toward a Common Approach to Strengthen U.S.-Korean Relations

PDF format, 1.68MB, 125Pages.

Edited by L. Gordon Flake and Park Ro-byug.
2008 by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.

Contributors:

Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., Professor of International Relations, Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Toby Dalton, Ph.D. candidate at The George Washington University, Luce Scholar to South Korea, 2001–02
L. Gordon Flake, Executive Director, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
David C. Kang, Associate Professor, Center for International Business, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Park Ro-byug, Associate, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University
Jeffrey J. Schott, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
R. Michael Schiffer, Program Officer in Policy Analysis and Dialogue, The Stanley Foundation, Fellow at the Center for Asia and Pacific Studies at the University of Iowa
Jon B. Wolfsthal, Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

About The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation:

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that promotes understanding and cooperation in U.S.-Asia relations. Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s values, ideals and vision for U.S.-Asia relations continue through the Foundation’s exchanges, dialogues, research and educational programs, which create networks among U.S. and Asian leaders, explore the underlying issues influencing public policies, and increase awareness about the nations and peoples of Asia.

The Foundation was established in 1983 to honor Mike Mansfield (1903–2001), a revered public servant, statesman and diplomat who played a pivotal role in many of the key domestic and international issues of the 20th century as U.S. congressman from Montana, Senate majority leader and finally as U.S. ambassador to Japan. The Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C.; Tokyo, Japan; and Missoula, Montana.

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
1401 New York Avenue, NW Suite 740
Washington, D.C. 20005-2102
Phone: 202.347.1994
Fax: 202.347.3941
E-mail: info@mansfieldfdn.org
www.mansfieldfdn.org

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment