Future Perspectives on South Korea's Foreign Relations

Abstract

Projecting any nation's foreign policy is always a risky enterprise, for no nation's foreign policy is ever fully stable in the dynamics of world politics. Regardless of the nature of ever-changing configurations of power in international relations, it is necessary for us to attempt to understand the current state of world affairs and foreign policies of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and other nations. Understanding South Korea's foreign policy direction and projecting it into the future entails many uncertainties, requiring that such a projection be based upon quite a number of assumptions. International political forces surrounding the Korean peninsula have been fast changing, and the future of South Korea's foreign policy is likely to be dependent upon its sound adjustment to the rapid shifts in international power realignments. In order to do this, a politically and economically viable South Korea with an adequate defense system must possess a flexible diplomatic posture as well as keen foresight in its management of international affairs. Whether South Korea's present and future leaders will be endowed with enough foresight and wisdom to pilot Korea through the turbulent storms of world political events is far from certain. One way to estimate South Korea's chances of survival as an independent and prosperous nation is to attempt to project South Korea's past and present foreign policies into the future. Needless to say, no approach is likely to offer a precise rendition of Korea's future role in international relations, though it seems worthwhile to make the attempt. Among South Korea's foreign policy problems, the most dominant issue has always been security. Since the Panmunjom Armistice Agreement, South Korea and the United States, as the protector of Korean