Fifty years of the ROK-U.S. alliance built in 1953 by the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Agreement, is recently making an effort to seek structural change that will entail future-oriented mediation of the U.S. armed force in Korea. Regarding security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK-U.S. alliance is considered to be the most crucial factor, therefore the recent change in alliance is closely watched not only by political, but academic circles. Furthermore, considering South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea, the alliance issue is not limited simply to diplomatic relationship or defense problem. The alliance has been reacting sensitively to South Korea’s policy towards North Korea, and under condition that military and security terrain is undergoing considerable changes after the Cold War, the alliance is subject to various factors.
 

This paper focuses on the importance of the U.S. policy, especially towards its allies when examining past and considering future changes. With this view, this paper firstly goes over the U.S.’s alliance policy and analyze how the policy has influenced the change of the ROK-U.S. relation.

Undergoing somewhat significant international incidents and flow of the world affairs over the past 50 years, ROK-U.S. alliance has been effected to vast amount. The reduction of the U.S. forces in Korea has been underway four times along with the U.S. policy change. ongoing reduction according to GPR policy could also be seen as the fifth. Changes in the alliance during the last five, or six years, however, is a lot more serious than that of the past whole years. With the U.S. being Korea’s closest ally and portraying at any angle, the U.S. holds major position in South Korea. Thus, as of Lee Myung Bak Government’s effort to rebuild burned bridge with the ally, this paper is aimed to examine the ROK-U.S. alliance as well as the recent changes and predict possible change, and even present counter plan.