The Political Implications of American Military Policy in Korea: Learning from Theoretical and Empirical Evidences

초록

This paper raises the critical questions on the impact of U.S. military changes in Korea. First, what would be South Korea’s response to America’s military policy from the Korean Peninsula? Since the adversary in international arena is not a rock that does not react at all, every foreign policy of a state will lead its adversary to respond in certain ways. Therefore, states should pay sufficient attention to probable response to their own adversary and its response to their policy initiatives. The second question is how South Korea responded when the U.S. tried to disengage form the Korean Peninsula during the Cold War? In the 1970s, Washington made a change to its military policy without the stable coordination with the South Korean government, Seoul pursued an independent nuclear programs twice. Although it is not completely certain to foresee how the South Korean government responds in East Asia, it is possible to predict most probable behaviors that the American military policy in Korea will lead South Korea to do. This paper explores these questions from the viewpoint of international relations theory. In this case, IR theory implies that a sudden change in U.S. military policy in Korea such as an uncoordinated adjustment between the two is an extremely dangerous policy because of its nuclear fallouts.

키워드