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South Korea and the United States have maintained a stable and long-
enduring alliance. However, a recent chain of events involving the North
Korean nuclear issue, military cooperation between China and Russia,
and deteriorating relations between South Korea and Japan present
challenges for cooperation between South Korea and the US. In this
Global NK commentary, Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University
discusses the ROK-US alliance by responding to concerns recently
outlined by Richard Armitage and Victor Cha. Professor Easley points out
that South Korea’s willingness for defense exchanges with China and for
joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) does
not imply that Seoul is "leaning towards Beijing." He concludes that it is
important to avoid overinterpreting facts on the ground because doing
so "can damage the very trust between Washington and Seoul that
alliance managers work tirelessly to defend."
[Read Commentary]
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