The New International Order and the US-ROK Alliance

Abstract

Abstract In the last decade of the 20th century, the Cold War ended with the demise of the Soviet Union, and the United States now remains as the sole superpower. A new international order began to emerge, resulting in fundamental changes in the strategic environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Under the new strategic setting, the US-ROK alliance no longer has to deal with the North Korean issue as a part of a bipolar global system, but rather as a problem of one rogue state in Northeast Asia. The United States began to put pressure on North Korea to end its Cold War practices. Depending upon how North Korea responds to this demand, so will the level of tension on the Korean Peninsula vary. Considering the rigidity of the North Korean regime, it is highly probable that the US-ROK alliance will face unpredictable and drastic changes in the North Korean threat in the coming years. Nevertheless, it is expected that the first part of the 21st century will witness the transition of the Korean Peninsula f...