Lee, Sang-Hyun

Abstract
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush had a first summit meeting on April 19, 2008 at Camp David and agreed to upgrade the ROK-U.S. alliance into a 21st century strategic alliance. The vision of a strategic alliance has three components: (1) a values-oriented partnership based on the principles of democracy and the free market; (2) an alliance that cultivates deeper trust through political, social, and economic interchanges; and (3) teamwork that cooperates to promote both regional and global peace. Although this vision may fundamentally be correct, it also raises many concerns and tasks in managing many alliance issues and coordinating North Korea policy. The vision of a strategic alliance requires a fundamental transformation of the ROK-U.S. alliance as it currently exists. There are many voices from both Seoul and Washington that urge a fundamental transformation of the alliance in order to cope with the new realities of the 21st century. In particular, the alliance faces two overwhelming challenges: constructing a new common defense policy in the aftermath of the dissolution of the CFC; and coordinating viable common approaches toward North Korea, including how to achieve eventual denuclearization and how to handle the current food shortage crisis. Although the respective members of the ROK-U.S. alliance have a good opportunity to upgrade their alliance to the next level of a strategic partnership, the Lee government, unfortunately, is under fire now because of the agreement to open South Korea’s market to American beef. Both Seoul and Washington should take measures so that the current crisis does not cause further damage to the overall ROK-U.S. alliance and their long-standing relationship.
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