The war and US-Korean relations

Abstract

For Koreans, the United States (U.S.) had offered a fluctuating image: after Korea was forced to open the door by Japan, the U.S. became the first power to recognize Korea's independence with a treaty of 1882. To explain America's East Asian policy in the early 20th century, several features need to be considered about the East Asian regional order of that time. The Manchurian crisis that followed the Boxer rebellion of 1900 revealed the extent of regional instability during this period. The outbreak of war between Japan and Russia provided the U.S. with the perfect opportunity to implement a policy of Japanese-American cooperation. As the Russo-Japanese war proceeded, the U.S. began gradually to acquiesce to the consolidation of Japanese control over Korea. President Roosevelt played the decisive role in U.S. foreign policymaking toward Korea at the beginning of the 20th century. Keywords: East Asian policy; Japan; Japanese-American cooperation; Korea; Manchurian crisis; President Roosevelt; Russia; United States (U.S.)