United States Involvement in North and South Korea Relationship

Background
United States has been engaged in Korean affairs for more than half of the twentieth century. It is shown by The U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty signed in October 1953, two months after the end of the Korean War. The treaty has guaranteed South Korea’s national security and it counts as one of the most important America’s alliances. For United States, this is not only to deter North Korean attack on South Korea but it also United States’s effort to spread their hegemonic power in Asia by providing a continental base for U.S forces to face China and Russia and also to provide a front-line defense for Japan (Kongdan Oh, 2008).
The alliance of United States and ROK was also considered very important because South Korea has strategic value in the eye of United States. South Korea is the only state that gained independence following World War II which successfully achieved both free market and global democracy. There is also geopolitical significance of the Korean Peninsula which has a very strategic location at an intersection of land and sea with military potential (Sung-Chool Lee, 2011).
Meanwhile, this alliance between United States and ROK has been bringing a kind of dismay to North Korea. North Korea considered this alliance as a threat towards their existence moreover after George W. Bush administration declared war on terrorists and those who might provide them with weapons of mass destruction in September 2001, and North Korea was targeted as on of three “axis of evil” states.
North Korean dismay towards United States-ROK alliance led into some armed provocations which finally dragged South Korea into the worse relationship with North Korea.

North and South Korea Relationship
The bad relations between North and South Korea has already began after Japan defeated in the end of the World War II. Together with the lose of Japan, Korean Peninsula then occupied by Soviet Union in the north and United States in the south.
South Korea establishment begins with the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945. A civilian government was established in 1948, beginning the First Republic and Syngman Rhee became the first president of South Korea.
While the North Korea was proclaimed on September 11, 1948, under the supervision of the occupying Soviet forces. The Soviets preferred Korean Communists who had spent the war years in Soviet Union power, rather than the Communist Party of Korea. Kim Il-Sung was became head of the North Korean Provisional People’s Committee in February 1946. Kim then became Prime Minister until 1972 before he became the President.
Korean War, a war between North and South Korea in which arose from the division of Korea at the end of World War II and from the global tensions of the Cold War that developed immediately afterwards. As we all know that Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until Japan defeated in World War II. By 1948, two separate governments had been set up. Both governments then claimed to be the legitimate government of Korea, and neither side accepted the border as permanent.
The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces, which was supported by the Soviet Union and China invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. In that exact day, the United Nations Security Council recognized North Korean act as an invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. Later on, the United Nations Security Council adopted S/RES/83: Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea and decided the formation and dispatch of the UN Forces in Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to defend South Korea, with the United States providing 88% of the United Nation’s military personnel.
The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, when the armistice was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. Clashes have continued to the present.

United States in North and South Korea Relationship
United States, directly or indirectly has already in between the relationship of North and South Korea since the beginning. United States who wants to spread their hegemonic power in Asia has choose South Korea for multiple reasons. The involvement of United States, however, triggering a dismay from North Korea who feels that the alliance between United States and South Korea will threaten the sovereignty of North Korea.
This North Korean dismay led into some armed provocations, although the President of South Korea, Roh Moo-Hyun already walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone on October 2, 2007 and travelled to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong-Il then on October 4, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il signed the peace declaration to replace the Armistice which ended the Korean War with a permanent peace treaty.
But unfortunately, the permanent peace treaty did not resulting any significant change in their relationship. On May 20, 2010, the 1.500-ton ROKS Cheonan with a crew of 104 sank off Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea because of an explosion at the stern. After some research, a team of international researchers then published  results claiming that the sinking had been caused by a North Korean torpedo. The other case is the bombardment of Yeonpyeong island by North Korean artillery in November 23, 2010. There are some following cases that been done by both side North and South Korea regarding to their worsen relationship.

Conclusion

We can clearly see that the involvement of United States in North and South Korea relationship resulting the worsen relations of both side North and South Korea, because the alliance of U.S.-ROK has been triggering an overreacting dismay from North Korea.



References

Kwak, K. S. (2006). THE US-ROK ALLIANCE, 1953-2004: ALLIANCE INSTITIONALIZATION. United States: ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
Lee, S.-C. (2011). The ROK-US Joint Political and Military Response to North Korean Armed Provocations. A REPORT OF THE CSIS KOREA CHAIR.
Olsen, E. A. (2002). Toward Normalizing U.S.-Korea Relations: In Due Course?
Snyder, S. (2012). The U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Meeting New Security Challenges.




Also See


THE INFLUENCE OF U.S. TOWARDS NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA RELATIONSHIP (BY. LUTFI)

THE INTERESTS OF NORTH KOREA TOWARDS U.S.-ROK ALLIANCE (BY. MEINAR)


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