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President Park Chung-hee and the ROK-US Alliance in the 1970s

차상철 1

1충남대학교

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ABSTRACT

The principal purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate the nature of the Korean-American alliance in the 1970s. The Republic of Korean (ROK) Armed Forces involvement in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s enormoenly contributed to economic development of the ROK, not to speak of strengthe ing the ROK-US Security Alliance. The most important pending issue between the ROK and the United States (US) in the 1970s was the withdrawal of the US Forces in Korea (USFK). In July 1970, in line with the Nixon Doctrine, the Nixon Administration decided to pull out one infantry division in Korea, which led to President Park's growing anxiety of national security. Park grew increasingly worried that America's detente policy would result in the reduction of alliance obligations to the ROK. Thus Park was determined to develop nuclear weapons secretly in order to secure the ROK's future. The Ford Administration warned and threatened incessantly the Park Government that the US would reconsider its relations with the ROK, including security and economic arrangements, if Seoul insisted on developing nuclear weapons. In 1976 Park was forced to give up the secret program. The growing tensions between the two countries exerted serious impact on the ROK-US alliance. President Carter announced his plan for a complete withdrawal of the US from Korea over a period of years. The Carter's pullout plan exponentially heightened Park's anxieties of national security. The Carter plan met severe criticisms from not only Park but also many policy makers including military experts of the Carter Administration. In July 1979 the US announced that further withdrawal of the US ground troops was being suspended until 1981. President Reagan made it clear from the start that he would not pull out the USFK. The ROK-US Alliance of the 1970s saw the repetition of tensions and dissensions mainly because of perception difference regarding outside threat and mutual distributionbetween the ROK and US.

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