Introducing East Asia: History, Politics, Economy and Society by Carin Holroyd

Author:Carin Holroyd [Holroyd, Carin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ethnic Studies, Abortion & Birth Control, Social Science, Political Science, Regional Studies, General
ISBN: 9781317409922
Google: PecLEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 42992872
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-12-28T10:19:17+00:00

Republic of Korea Armed Forces

In 1953, shortly after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, South Korea and the United States signed a Mutual Defense Treaty. The two countries agreed to come to each other’s aid if either were attacked. The treaty also stipulated that the United States has permission for stationing military forces in South Korea, subject to South Korea’s agreement. In 1978, the United States and South Korea Combined Forces Command was created. The CFC was headed by a U.S. military officer who answered to the United States, as well as to South Korean national authorities. All South Korean forces did not come under the control of the South Korean government until 1994.

Since the signing of the treaty in 1953, the United States has had a sizeable military presence in South Korea. In 2019, approximately 28,500 American ground, air, naval, marine and special operations forces were based in South Korea at 15 bases around the country, much lower numbers both of personnel and bases than in the past. Arrangements for the bases have been renegotiated frequently. In 2019, South Korea paid $923 million of the approximately $1.5 billion cost of hosting the U.S. troops. However, in late 2019, President Trump demanded that Seoul quintuple its contribution to $4.7 billion in 2020. This increase could have serious repercussions, as some in South Korea have suggested that, in exchange for increased defence funding, it be permitted to develop its own nuclear weapons. This would have negative implications for the attempts to denuclearize North Korea and could encourage Japan to develop its own nuclear weapons. The Americans decreased their demand after South Korea agreed to purchase more U.S. weapons and expand its efforts to protect oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz.

The South Korean government and general public have an ambivalent view of the United States’ presence in their country. Some Koreans derive comfort from the presence of the American military, believing they are a deterrent to North Korea. However, the Americans are not universally embraced: the role of the United States in supporting the Chun government during the Kwangju massacre disturbed many South Koreans. Led by university students, thousands of South Koreans have taken to the streets on multiple occasions to protest the U.S. military presence. They argue that in its fight against communism, the United States has suppressed democracy in many places around the world. Despite this ambivalence, a January 2019 Asian Institute for Policy Studies and Council on Foreign Relations survey of South Korean attitudes towards U.S. Forces in Korea showed that the majority in every age cohort believe that U.S. Forces is a good partner that helps ensure South Korean security (“South Korean Attitudes,” 2019). Most analysts agree and believe that the U.S.-South Korean alliance is of benefit beyond the peninsula, ensuring peace throughout Northeast Asia.

South Korea lives a precarious existence. North Korea, a rogue and hostile state, lies on its northern border. South Korea’s next closest neighbour is China with its military strength and commercial aggressiveness.

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