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South Korea’s Foreign Relations
South Korea maintains a political and security alliance with the United States since the Korean War and its major foreign policy issue remains North Korea. South Korea also has a complex relationship with Japan due to their shared history, including Japan's colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945. While South Korea and Japan are important economic partners today, historical issues from World War II continue to strain their political ties. Both the U.S. and China play influential roles in the region as South Korea works to balance its relationships.
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South Korea’s Foreign Relations
- 1. South Korea’s ForeignRelations
- 2. South Korea’s StrategicPosture • Political and security alliance with U.S. since the end of the Korean War in 1953 • The major issue is overwhelmingly North Korea – The “Sunshine Policy” of active engagement under President Kim Dae-Jung (1998-2003) – Higher tensions under President Lee Myung-Bak (2008-2013)
- 3. U.S.-Korea Free TradeAgreement • The “biggest trade deal since NAFTA” was passed by U.S. Congress in 2011. • During the negotiation process, both administrations faced opposition from strong domestic agricultural lobbies. – Korean rice farmers – U.S. cattle farmers • U.S. automobile industry
- 4. Korea-Japan Relations • Historicallegacies date back two millennia • Cultural proximity – Language family – Written characters – Confucianism – Buddhism – ...
- 5. Japanese Invasions • 1592-1598,Japanese invasion was defeated by joint China-Korea forces. • 1894-1895 war between Qing China and Japan over control of Korea. • 1904-1905 war between Russia and Japan • 1910 Japan annexed Korea
- 6. Japan’s Occupation 1910-1945 •Current historical issues: – Japanese statements of remorse for World War II – Korean laborers during World War II – Korean “comfort women” during World War II – Yasukuni Shrine (convicted war criminals) – ...
- 7. Wartime Atrocities inthe Relations • Kono Statement of 1993 – The statement, named after then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, contained a landmark apology to the sex slaves known euphemistically in Japan as “comfort women.” • Murayama Statement of 1995 – Then socialist Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (1994-1996) apologized for wartime suffering inflicted by Japan on its Asian neighbors.
- 8. Normalization of Relations1965 • President Park Chung-Hee of South Korea established diplomatic relations with Japan. • Economic benefits • Resentment
- 9. Territorial Dispute • Dokdo(in Korean) / Takeshima (in Japanese) • South Korean government position: – “Dokdo ... is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law.” • Japanese government position: – “Takeshima is clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in the light of historical facts and based upon international law.”
- 10. Trading Partners • SouthKorea is Japan’s – 3rd largest export market (8%) – 6th largest source of imports (5%) • As South Korea’s export destination, Japan dropped from 3rd place (7%) to 5th (4.9%) • As South Korea’s 2nd largest import source, Japan’s share dropped from 12% to 10.5% in 2015.
- 11. Trade and Investment 20102011 2012 2013 Japan-South Korea total trade growth 5.96% -4.35% 10.55% Japanese investment in South Korea $1.085 billion $2.439 billion $3.996 billion $3.286 billion South Korean investment in Japan $559 million $47 million
- 12. Role of USand China • US bilateral alliances with Japan and with South Korea respectively – Common concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s rising power • China is the top trade partner of Japan and of South Korea
- 13. South Korea’s Tieswith China • Growing economic relationship with China • China passed the U.S. in 2003 to become South Korea’s largest trading partner • In 2015, 26% of South Korea’s exports went to China, nearly double the share for the U.S. • In 2015, 21% of South Korea’s imports came from China, more than the shares of Japan and U.S. combined.
- 14. South Korea’s NewRole in Asia • Playing a “balancing” or mediating role in regional disputes – territorial disputes between China and Japan – nuclear standoff between North Korea and U.S. • Building Seoul into a logistics and business hub for the region • However, actual ability seems limited Thank you! Marcelo Gomes Freire Partner