Public Opinion: Alliance, Security, Nukes

• Session: Session II / Pavilion (Ronald Reagan Building)
• Date/Time: June 25, 2013 / 10:30-11:40

Panel Description

One of the most distinct changes over the past five years is an emerging confidence in South Korea. South Koreans no longer perceive themselves to be a second-rank nation, and these perceptions will be brought to bear in all of its relationships in the short- and medium-term. While support for the alliance with the United States should remain high there is decreasing patience with Japan and its seeming shift to the right. This trend has also led South Koreans to demand more responsibility for its own defense as well as a homegrown nuclear weapons program. Whether South Korea embarks on such a move remains to be seen, a national debate on all facets of South Korea’s future is underway.