Description
Unitl 25 June 1950, many in the United States did not know where the Korean Peninsula was – much less consider it vital to our security. On that day, however, communist North Korea invaded South Korea, forcing a change in that thinking. Now, Colonel Richard Detrio writes, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) is not only well known, but an economic power and important participant in Northeast Asian politics. How did South Korea make the leap from obscurity to center state in Northeast Asia? And what does the future hold for the special relationship between South Korea and the United States? Detrio explores these questions in this study, emphasizing the key position that the Republic of Korea now holds in the military balance of power in Northeast Asia. He notes that the realignment of relations between the People’s Republic of China, on the one hand, and the United States and Japan on the other, has increased the strategic value of Korea. And another major power, the Soviet Union, has interests in the region, making the Korean Peninsula one of the world’s strategic crossroads. Korea is an ancient land which has undergone much change in a short time, a country whose relationships with other countries are still evolving. This book helps place South Korea in historical perspective, explaining the shared interests that underpin the US-South Korean strategic partnership. Bradley C. Hosmer Lieutenant General, United States Air Force President, National Defense University
