Future of North-South Korean Relations and Desirable Roles of the United States
Abstract
Since the end of the Korean War, both North and South Korea have bee n building up their military power. The arms race and precarious military balance have increased the risk of a military conflict between the North and South which could result in the major powers' involvement. In recent years, various plans for deescalation and conflict resolution have been attempted to enhance stability on the Korean peninsula without avail. The geopolitical location of the Korean peninsula and history of the superpower intervention in inter-Korean relations make it impossible to attempt any prognosis of future inter-Korean relations without assessing expected actions of the concerned powers, namely the U.S., Soviet Union, China, and Japan. The U.S. is the only nation among the four that has not shown any territorial interest in the Korean peninsula, and also has diverse and multi-pronged cooperative relations with all concerned powers. The U.S. can initiate an effort to keep peace on the Korean peninsula. This paper reviews present situations between the North and South Korea and discusses the security environment on the Korean peninsula and suggests several desirable roles of the United States for sustaining peace on the Korean peninsula.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA202749
Entities
People
- Kyung U. Park
Organizations
- Air War College