South Korea-U.S. Relations

This essay focuses on the politics around the U.S. military in Korea as a way to shed light on three challenges confronting the governments and foreign-policy elites in Seoul and Washington. The political consciousness and demands of local governments and residents in South Korea have become more salient in recent years. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have also taken on a more prominent role in forging and articulating national security and foreign policy issues. These interest groups have challenged and eroded the influence of the old political and bureaucratic establishment. As a result, the future of the alliance depends as much on these forces of democratization as on external threats.