Roh Moo-Hyun administration: a new look at the development of the ROK - U.S. alliance in 2003-2008

The scientific article aims to examine the process of transformation of political and economic relations between the Republic of Korea and the United States during the period 2003-2008. Key changes are highlighted and the effectiveness of the ROK-U.S. alliance is being analyzed. While the main goal of the alliance was to contain North Korea, the perception of the threat both in the United States and in the Republic of Korea has changed since the late 1990s, when the DPRK withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Thus, the key issue facing the alliance at the beginning of the 21st century was the strategic dissonance towards the DPRK. The ROK and the United States had different views on the policy that had be pursued towards North Korea. Nevertheless, the common goal within the framework of the ROK-U.S. alliance was understanding of the importance of denuclearization. At the same time, the alliance faced other problems, such as China's economic growth, threats to the international order emanating from terrorists, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the need to restructure the alliance to meet the changing international and domestic realities in both countries. To deal with these acute problems, the coordination of actions within the ROK-U.S. alliance played an important role. The military partnership between the Republic of Korea and the United States has ceased to be the dominant feature of the bilateral relations, but it remained an important foundation. It is confirmed by the fact that during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, when South Korea and the USA were distancing from each other, the alliance itself has survived and the countries have even strengthened and prospectively reconfigured their relations. In the economic sphere during 2003-2008, one of the most important changes in the history of the ROK-U.S. alliance took place, namely, both countries began active negotiations about bilateral free trade agreement, known as KORUS FTA. In 2004, the situation changed dramatically when China became South Korea's largest trading partner, and the USA was forced to look for the ways to counterbalance Beijing in its active policy in Seoul. South Korea in its turn, planned to modernize its economy and opened up ample opportunities in the American market. That is why, both ROK and the USA found mutual benefits in striking the KORUS FTA. The article concludes what the results of Roh Moo-hyun policy towards the USA were, and generalizes about the effectiveness of the ROK-U.S. alliance in 2003-2008. This article employs the following sources of information: studies and researches of the American and South Korean historians; statistical data of the Institute for National Strategic Studies, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Office of the United States Trade Representative; documents of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as materials from South Korean media.

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