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| U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert (Image: Flickr User - Ash Carter) |
By Leon Whyte
Keeping the alliance strong will require adroit diplomacy on the part of both South Korea and the U.S.
This is the fourth article in a series on the U.S. alliance with South Korea. Previous articles can be found here, here and here.
In an Asan Institute poll from 2014, 93.3 percent of South Koreans polled said the alliance was necessary, and 66 percent percent were in favor of retaining the alliance even if Korea unifies. However, ROK opinion of the United States is mercurial: In a 2002 survey, 44 percent of South Koreans had a negative view of the United States, a number higher than any other Western or Asian country. Much of this anti-Americanism is rooted in the U.S. military’s role in South Korea. There are historical reasons for this anti-Americanism, including misperceptions surrounding the U.S. military’s role in the Kwangju massacre in 1980. There have also been several recent sensational instances where individual U.S. soldiers have killed or harmed South Korean civilians, provoking anger and questions about the Status of Forces Agreement that permits the United States to try American perpetrators in U.S. military courts.
Read the full story at The Diplomat