By Leon Whyte
South Korea’s participation in international institutions reflects an evolution in its alliance with the U.S.
Since its beginning, the U.S.-South Korea alliance has remained focused on security challenges on the Korean Peninsula; but new areas for cooperation are developing. The ROK has supported several U.S. overseas engagements throughout its history, including sending personnel to support the U.S. mission during the Vietnam War, and more recently in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Two areas in which South Korea is becoming more active include peacekeeping and anti-piracy operations. In both of these, the ROK is helping to provide an international common good, supporting U.S. priorities, and acting independently of the alliance structure. These trends are part of the “Global Korea” foreign policy first articulated by President Lee Myung-bak, intended to increase South Korea’s participation and influence in international governance.
The ROK first participated in peacekeeping missions in 1993, sending as engineering unit to Somalia. Currently it has 614 personnel deployed in peacekeeping missions, and since 1993 has deployed around 11,000 personnel to 17 different countries. To facilitate participation in peacekeeping operations (PKO), the Ministry of National Defense (MND) created a unit of 3,000 personnel dedicated to overseas deployment. In 2004, the MND established a PKO Center at the Korea National Defense University to provide pre-deployment education and research on ROK participation in PKOs. While ROK participation in PKOs is under the aegis of the United Nations instead of the U.S.-ROK alliance, the United States has a strong interest in global stability, and as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has a stake in the success of U.N. peacekeeping.
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