@article{ART003347871},
author={Joonseok Yang},
title={The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions},
journal={military history},
issn={1598-317X},
year={2026},
number={139},
pages={79-126}
TY - JOUR
AU - Joonseok Yang
TI - The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions
JO - military history
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 139
PB - Military History Institute, MND
SP - 79
EP - 126
SN - 1598-317X
AB - This study reconstructs the vision and development of a ROK-led security alliance initiative based on APACL and analyzes its failure through two factors: the US strategic dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s anti-communist and anti-Japanese threat perceptions. The failure of the ROK-led defense alliance stemmed from structural constraints arising from the US dilemma toward the ROK: Although the United States regarded the ROK as an “indispensable anchor” in its anti-communist strategy and island defense line in Asia, it simultaneously feared the risks of escalation and loss of control associated with Rhee’s independent actions. Consequently, Washington did not support the formation of a ROK-led anti-communist organization, and the ROK’s exclusion from SEATO further reinforced Rhee’s pursuit of an autonomous security initiative such as APACL.
At the same time, Rhee’s anti-communist stance coexisted with strong anti-Japanese sentiment, leading him to reject any regional defense arrangement that included Japan. This limited the institutional expansion of his security vision. Consequently, the interaction between US control concerns and Rhee’s threat perception generated structural tension, resulting in the failure of APACL’s institutionalization. Despite this outcome, the APACL initiative represents an early case in which a weaker ally sought to expand autonomy and exert diplomatic leverage within a US-centered alliance order.
KW - Asian Peoples’ Anti-Communist League (APACL);Syngman Rhee;ROK–US Alliance;Anti-Communism;Anti-Japanese Sentiment;Entrapment Risk;Alliance Autonomy
DO -
UR -
ER -
Joonseok Yang. (2026). The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions. military history, 139, 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. 2026, "The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions", military history, no.139, pp.79-126.
Joonseok Yang "The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions" military history 139 pp.79-126 (2026) : 79.
Joonseok Yang. The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions. 2026; 139 : 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. "The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions" military history no.139(2026) : 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions. military history, 139, 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions. military history. 2026; 139 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions. 2026; 139 : 79-126.
Joonseok Yang. "The Vision and Failure of a ROK-Led Defense Alliance through APACL: Focusing on the Tension between the US Strategic Dilemma and Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist and Anti-Japanese Threat Perceptions" military history no.139(2026) : 79-126.
