Session: Session 3 / Regency Room
Date/Time: April 30, 2013 / 15:30-16:45

Panel Description

2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea-United States alliance. However, despite overlapping interests and policy priorities between ROK and US, the alliance faces great uncertainty going forward. Issues to be addressed include the pending transfer of operational control of military forces to Korea (OPCON), renewing the ROK-US nuclear energy agreement which is set to expire in March 2014, and implementation of the ROK-US free trade agreement. In addition to such issues, the alliance must find a way of establishing a lasting accommodation between the two pillars of the US security system in Asia—Korea and Japan. How do the two allies see their relationship adjusting in the gravitational pull of China? With a staunch pro-alliance South Korean president in office, and a US administration keen to re-assert America’s role in Asia, is this a golden opportunity to revitalize and deepen the alliance?

Guiding Questions

1. 1. Given the South Korean public’s generational cleavages vis-à-vis the alliance, what changes are necessary to preserve public support in the coming decades?
2. 2. How critical is a repair of ROK-Japan relations to US interests? Is it a necessary factor or merely desirable?
3. 3. What would China want to change about the alliance’s current status? How important will US troop withdrawals become in the coming years?