U.S. FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD THE KOREAN PENINSULA: AN ANTI-UNIFICATION POLICY OR JUST TOO MANY UNCERTAINTIES TO ACCOUNT FOR?

Abstract

Based on interviews conducted in Seoul in July 2006, the author explores apparent contradictions in South Korean perceptions of the United States’ attitude toward Korean unification. These common perceptions regarding international support (or lack thereof) for unification are: 1) The regional powers – China, the U.S., Japan and Russia – do not support the unification initiatives proposed by South Korea; 2) Reunification is impossible without support from the regional powers, particularly the U.S. and China; 3) North Korea, under the Kim dynasty, will never accept reunification under South Korean terms; 4) North Korea’s main concern is survival; 5) Cooperating with North Korea is the only sure way toward reunification; 6) Unification will eventually be realized. The author analyzes these perceptions in relationship to U.S. interests in North East Asia and the Korean Peninsula, and he argues that while Korean unification is not part of an explicit U.S. policy, neither is the U.S. intrinsically opposed to reunification. Rather, the U.S. is more concerned about the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and power balancing than it is about Korean unification, a fact that will not change in the short term.