Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered near the North Korean border as the United States
and South Korea held their largest ever joint military exercise in early 2016.
The two nations hold these drills annually to test their preparedness against an attack
from North Korea.
Besides their shared disapproval for the North, South Korea and the US don’t seem to have
much in common.
So we wanted to know, why do the US and South Korea love each other?
Well, South Korea and the US’s diplomatic relationship stems back to the aftermath of
World War Two.
At the time, the Korean peninsula had recently split, and the UN refused to recognize the
North as a legitimate state.
In response, North Korea invaded the newly formed South, and the US came to South Korea’s
defense.
In 1954, following three years of war, South Korea and the US created a “relationship
forged in blood”, in which the two countries agreed to defend each other in the event of
an attack.
Their alliance strengthened in 2008, when newly elected President Lee Myung-bak[Lee
- MYUHNG BAHK] toughened South Korea’s stance toward the North.
Myung-bak also had a strong personal relationship with President Barack Obama, who, in 2009
called South Korea “one of America’s closest allies and greatest friends”.
Additionally, in 2007 the two countries agreed to a groundbreaking free trade agreement,
reducing taxes on exports and imports.
Under this treaty, bilateral trade is expected to be duty free within the next decade.
Thus far it has increased their trade to over one hundred billion dollars annually, with
the US primarily exporting meat and South Korea selling cars and machinery.Today, the
US is South Korea’s second most important trading partner, after China.
But North Korea’s volatility and potential danger is the glue that holds these two countries
together.
North Korea’s relationship with South Korea has worsened considerably since Myung-bak
introduced his “Vision 3000” plan in 2007, which aimed to funnel money into the North
in exchange for their denuclearization.
Pyongyang officials not only rejected this proposal, they became even more aggressive
by firing missiles off their west coast and holding their second nuclear test.
Tensions rose again in 2010, when North Korea allegedly fired a torpedo at a South Korean
warship, killing nearly 50 people on board.
In response, the US strengthened its economic sanctions on Pyongyang, and strengthened their
military partnership with South Korea.
After another alleged nuclear test from the North in January 2016, the US sent four thousand
troops to South Korea, reinforcing the nearly 30 thousand already stationed there.
Many of these troops are stationed at the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, which separates
North and South Korea.
The US has attempted to create a peaceful dialogue between North and South Korea not
only because it honors their military alliance, but because it addresses the threat of North
Korea’s nuclear program.
Beyond trade and security, the US and South Korea share mutually positive social relations.
According to the Pew Research Center, 84 percent of South Koreans have a favorable view of
the US, a higher percentage than almost any other country.
Roughly 65 percent of Americans feel similarly for South Koreans.
These recent large scale military exercises shows that US and South Korea are as committed
as ever to combatting North Korea’s turbulent behavior.
The no-mans land between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily militarized borders
in the world.
Find out more about the DMZ by watching this video up top.
You can also get a closer look at just how powerful South Korea is by watching this video
below.
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