Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered near
the North Korean border as the United States
and South Korea held their largest ever joint
military exercise in early 2016.
The two nations hold these drills annually
to test their preparedness against an attack
from North Korea.
Besides their shared disapproval for the North,
South Korea and the US don’t seem to have
much in common.
So we wanted to know, why do the US and South
Korea love each other?
Well, South Korea and the US’s diplomatic
relationship stems back to the aftermath of
World War Two.
At the time, the Korean peninsula had recently
split, and the UN refused to recognize the
North as a legitimate state.
In response, North Korea invaded the newly
formed South, and the US came to South Korea’s
defense.
In 1954, following three years of war, South
Korea and the US created a “relationship
forged in blood”, in which the two countries
agreed to defend each other in the event of
an attack.
Their alliance strengthened in 2008, when
newly elected President Lee Myung-bak[Lee
- MYUHNG BAHK] toughened South Korea’s stance
toward the North.
Myung-bak also had a strong personal relationship
with President Barack Obama, who, in 2009
called South Korea “one of America’s closest
allies and greatest friends”.
Additionally, in 2007 the two countries agreed
to a groundbreaking free trade agreement,
reducing taxes on exports and imports.
Under this treaty, bilateral trade is expected
to be duty free within the next decade.
Thus far it has increased their trade to over
one hundred billion dollars annually, with
the US primarily exporting meat and South
Korea selling cars and machinery.Today, the
US is South Korea’s second most important
trading partner, after China.
But North Korea’s volatility and potential
danger is the glue that holds these two countries
together.
North Korea’s relationship with South Korea
has worsened considerably since Myung-bak
introduced his “Vision 3000” plan in 2007,
which aimed to funnel money into the North
in exchange for their denuclearization.
Pyongyang officials not only rejected this
proposal, they became even more aggressive
by firing missiles off their west coast and
holding their second nuclear test.
Tensions rose again in 2010, when North Korea
allegedly fired a torpedo at a South Korean
warship, killing nearly 50 people on board.
In response, the US strengthened its economic
sanctions on Pyongyang, and strengthened their
military partnership with South Korea.
After another alleged nuclear test from the
North in January 2016, the US sent four thousand
troops to South Korea, reinforcing the nearly
30 thousand already stationed there.
Many of these troops are stationed at the
Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, which separates
North and South Korea.
The US has attempted to create a peaceful
dialogue between North and South Korea not
only because it honors their military alliance,
but because it addresses the threat of North
Korea’s nuclear program.
Beyond trade and security, the US and South
Korea share mutually positive social relations.
According to the Pew Research Center, 84 percent
of South Koreans have a favorable view of
the US, a higher percentage than almost any
other country.
Roughly 65 percent of Americans feel similarly
for South Koreans.
These recent large scale military exercises
shows that US and South Korea are as committed
as ever to combatting North Korea’s turbulent
behavior.
The no-mans land between North and South Korea
is one of the most heavily militarized borders
in the world.
Find out more about the DMZ by watching this
video up top.
You can also get a closer look at just how
powerful South Korea is by watching this video
below.
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