Why South Korea Doesn't Believe America Will Uphold Its Alliance Agreement
Seoul's concerns are driven by President Donald Trump's track-record of skepticism toward U.S. commitments abroad.
by Jihoon Yu Erik French
The National Interest · by Jihoon Yu · March 10, 2020
In recent years, the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea (ROK) has faced considerable pressure. The Trump administration is insisting that the ROK bolster its host-nation support for U.S. forces, demanding a five-fold increase in the ROK's contribution much to the chagrin of Seoul. The Moon administration, meanwhile, has prompted concern in Washington due to its repeated diplomatic spats with Japan, the United States' other key Northeast Asian ally.
In addition to these recent disputes, several broad strategic challenges have placed a strain on the long-standing ROK-US alliance. The ROK government worries about whether the United States is committed to defending it against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which shares a border with i. The ROK's concerns are driven by President Donald Trump's track-record of skepticism toward U.S. commitments abroad. Just as significantly, the DPRK has moved closer to a nuclear arsenal capable of striking the U.S. homeland, leading to concerns about decoupling.
Others in the ROK argue that the alliance impedes President Moon Jae-in's diplomatic engagement with the DPRK. The Trump administration is understandably skeptical about Moon's attempts to improve ties with the DPRK. President Trump's pursuit of independent negotiations with the DPRK also has the potential to undercut the ROK's efforts to improve inter-Korean relations. As some in the ROK have noted, this allows the DPRK to bypass the ROK in favor of direct talks with the United States.
Read more at: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Why-South-Korea-Doesn-t-Believe-America-Will-Uphold-Its-Alliance-Agreement.html?soid=1114009586911&aid=wAbZbIYp4UI
I tend to agree with the above. We need to stand by allies! I understand some of the back and forth. One of the author's is a prof at Brockport.
