South Korea used to be a country where the slogan of OYankee Go Home!O would be rarely heard. The United States was South KoreaOs role model and window to the world. It was the United States that liberated Korea from Japanese colonial domination and protected South Korea from the North Korean communist invasion in 1950. The presence of American troops in the South and the provision of credible deterrence forces further enhanced the American image as a benevolent guardian. The United States played an equally important role in transforming the South Korean economy. While American military assistance considerably eased South KoreaOs defense spending burden, its systematic policy intervention was instrumental in shaping an export-led growth strategy that was vital to its economic miracle. However, the ROK-U.S. alliance of 50 years has been experiencing unprecedented strains. The tragic death of Hyosun and Misun, two Korean middle school girls, by an American armored personnel carrier in June 2002 and the subsequent rise of widespread antiAmerican sentiment in South Korea have overshadowed the joy and celebration of a 50-year relationship. Cries of Oabandon the U.S.O are on the rise in South Korea, which have in turn precipitated in kind responses from some conservative elements in the U.S., who call for the U.S. to Oabandon South Korea.O Conflicting views between the two allies on how to handle the North Korean nuclear problem have further complicated and even worsened SeoulWashington ties. Although President Roh Moo-hyunOs reconciliatory gesture during his visit to the United States in May 2003 contributed to defusing the negative spiral of Omutual abandonment,O the inertia of uneasy bilateral relations still remains. Central to this development is the banmi (anti-American) attitude prevalent in South Korea. But there is nothing new about banmi, since it has recently become widespread throughout the world. Anti-American sentiments or attitudes from South Korea have persisted since the days of the first encounter with the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century, and they are likely to continue in the future. Their scope and depth are not fixed, but vary over time, depending upon overall social ambience, actors, and issues. Thus, it seems grossly misleading to identify banmi as the dominant, fixed national mood in South Korea. Banmi is only one aspect of South KoreaOs national psyche, as there is in fact a variety of Korean words describing the perception of the United States, ranging from sungmi (worshiping the U.S.) to hyommi (loathing the U.S.). Nevertheless, the position of American