The US–South Korea alliance: How the patron benefits from the protégé

Abstract

Since the end of World War II, the US military has continuously deployed troops to South Korea. The alliance works as an asymmetrical alliance, where the US is a patron and South Korea is a protégé. While it is argued that this deployment has significant political, economic, and military effects on South Korea and the region, few studies have examined how the presence of US forces there enhances US military and economic power as well as national security interests. In this paper, we examine the costs and benefits of the US–South Korea alliance, specifically focusing on US troop deployment on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, we argue that the US military alliance with South Korea has significant benefits to both partners, but particularly for the sake of US national security interests. In this sense, the protégé state provides significant benefits to the patron state. We discuss the strategic importance of South Korea in US foreign policy in the region and emphasize the benefits of the US–South Korea alliance at the various levels.