2025, Vol.9, No.2

A Note on the Speed of Structural Changes and Economic Growth: Cases of Korea and Japan

Han, Hongyul | 2025, 9(2) | pp.7~34 | number of Cited : 0

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Analysis on the Diplomatic Dilemma of the US-ROK Alliance: Take the Trump-Moon Jae-in administration as an example

Wei—Jian Gu , Kim Jae kwan | 2025, 9(2) | pp.35~65 | number of Cited : 0

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This paper uses the Autonomy-Security Trade-off Model as the analytical framework, combining the Entrapment-Abandonment Dilemma and Balance of Threat theory and so on, starts with the North Korean nuclear issue and the issue of the defense cost sharing of the alliance which have had a significant impact on the development of the US-ROK alliance, and makes a detailed exploration on the diplomatic dilemma faced by the alliance under the governance of the Trump and Moon Jae-in administrations. Through analysis and comparison: It is believed that the United States and South Korea adjust their respective autonomous proportions in the alliance, therefore, the overlap of interests between allies has decreased, and the cohesion of the relationship between the United States and South Korea has weakened. The motivation behind the U.S. and South Korea's requirements for adjusting the alliance’s autonomy is to safeguard their own interests, and the inconsistency of the interests of the two parties triggers conflicts and games among allies. However, because of the inconsistency of interests, the alliance system not only did not collapse, but enabled itself to maintain normal operations, and gave it a longer vitality. The fundamental reason is that the United States and South Korea belong to an asymmetric alliance. The weaker side of the alliance depends on the security provided by the stronger one. This also resulted in South Korea having to make concessions on the issue of autonomy. The United States will undoubtedly increase its security payment costs while expanding its autonomy in the alliance. When it cannot meet the payment requirements, the United States will cause dissatisfaction among its allies. This paper argues that: Under the asymmetric alliance system, autonomy-security trade-off between allies cannot achieve a complete equilibrium. Therefore, the conflicts and games between allies around the balance of autonomy and security always run through the political interaction process of the alliance itself.

A Study on Factors Affecting South Korea-China Relations: Focusing on South Korea's Policies Toward the North Korea and the United States

Kim Ae Kyung | 2025, 9(2) | pp.67~94 | number of Cited : 0

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This article argues that the South Korean government‘s policy toward the U.S. and North Korea has affected South Korea-China relations. Progressive governments' U.S. policy aimed to strengthen the alliance while also seeking to expand diplomatic autonomy. In contrast, conservative governments placed greater emphasis on strengthening the alliance. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration went further by actively supporting the U.S. policy of containing China. While progressive governments sought stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula through North Korea's denuclearization and the development of relations with North Korea, conservative governments did not pursue the development of relations with North Korea unless denuclearization was a precondition. South Korea's U.S. and North Korea policies have influenced South Korea-China trade and China's cooperation on North Korea-related issues. South Korea’s policies toward the U.S. and North Korea have affected China’s cooperation on North Korea-related issues as well as South Korea-China trade. However, during unavoidable crises such as the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, this correlation was not as clear. When it comes to trade, the impact of South Korea’s U.S. and North Korea policies was relatively less significant compared to the North Korea issue. The periods when South Korea-China trade was most affected by these policies were during the latter half of the Park Geun-hye administration and under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. During the latter half of Park Geun-hye’s presidency, China viewed South Korea’s decision to deploy the THAAD system as participation in the U.S. missile defense system aimed at countering China. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has focused on actively supporting the U.S. policy of containing China. As a result, South Korea-China trade volume and trade balance decreased to an unprecedented extent. China's cooperation on North Korea-related issues showed a clear difference between progressive and conservative government periods except for North Korea's nuclear tests. Under progressive administrations, China was more cooperative on North Korea-related issues, while under conservative governments, China was relatively less cooperative. Instead, China expanded its economic cooperation with North Korea, moving in the opposite direction from the policies of South Korea’s conservative governments.

Study on International Cases of Chemical Safety Management Based on Collaborative Governance

Jang Ikhyun , YOON , Yoon-A Cho and 1 other persons | 2025, 9(2) | pp.95~118 | number of Cited : 0

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The Birth of Korea-United States Relations

Inkyoung Kim , Michael Garifales | 2025, 9(2) | pp.119~144 | number of Cited : 0

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In the United States, Korea is remembered primarily through the Korean War (1950-1953) and, more recently, seen in the context of the North Korean nuclear crisis. However, how did the U.S. meet Korea for the first time before the Korean War? How did the U.S. establish diplomatic relations with Korea under the isolationist policy of the Joseon dynasty? How did the American public view Korea and its citizens during the birth of their relations? This paper explains the origins of relations between Korea and the U.S. as well as the role of the U.S. in shaipng bilateral relations with Korea before, during, and after the Japanese colonialism in Korea as well as during the Korean War. This study investigates primary sources of treaties between the two countries and secondary literature on the U.S.’s strategic calculations regarding the Korean Peninsula. It presents an interpretive and documentary analysis, relying on various historical documents that cover important military and geopolitical events from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. The initial encounter between the two countries can be traced back to the Korea-U.S. conflict in 1871, which resulted in an unequal agreement through the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation. It demonstrates how the 1882 Treaty superficially emphasized friendship while actually imposing unequal relations, and how the U.S. sanctioned Japan’s domination of Korea through the 1905 Portsmouth Treaty and the Taft-Katsura Agreement. Unlike the peace and amity between the two countries that the treaty called for, the U.S. made a secret agreement with Japan at the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 to let Japan colonize Korea through the Treaty of Portsmouth of 1905. South Korea and the U.S. did not have a strong alliance until they established their collective defense system through the Mutual Defense Treaty at the end of the Korean War.

Sanctions and Countermeasures: Rethinking Russia’s Resistance to Economic Coercion

박희재 | 2025, 9(2) | pp.145~178 | number of Cited : 0

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The Role of Government in the Implementation of Corporate Voluntary Climate Initiatives: The Case of Samsung’s RE100 in Korea

Heejin Han | 2025, 9(2) | pp.179~204 | number of Cited : 0

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KJCKorea
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Analyses & Alternatives 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.46

2025, Vol.9, No.2