Korean-American Relations

The purpose of the book is to show "where the relationship has been, where it is, and where it is heading" and the essays "show the relationship to be a complex one, with disappointments and triumphs on both sides" (1). The essays deal with numerous issues, as stated, but they all emphasize the "duality and dominance" of the relationship. The duality refers to the fact that there are two Koreas and, therefore, two perspectives on the relationship between the United States and South Korea:

On the one hand, the South Korean government tends to characterize the relationship as one of equal partnership. where both sides share identical aims and problems are virtually nonexistent. On the other hand, the North Korean government tends to characterize the relationship in extremely negative terms (1-2).

Another aspect of the duality---existent long before the split in Korea between North and South Korea---involves the conflict of interests between the United States and Korea. Korea has only its own interests at stake, but the United States has a concern for both its own and Korea's interests. When the two interests collide, the U

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The United States has been content to provide South Korea with a military presence and assurance against being attacked or overrun by North Korea. Debate has raged in the United States over the presence and number of troops in South Korea, but the situation remains the same---the troops, in reduced numbers, remain, and the security of South Korea is still the top priority in Korean-American relations. One issue which the essays do not explore in sufficient depth is the issue of the South Korean people themselves. Only the final issue deals significantly with this issue in its discussion of human rights. However, it is unfair to fault the book on this aspect because it was not included in the stated intent of the book. Human rights was not a prominent consideration until the late 1970s. However, the book is successful in fulfilling the editors' stated intentions. They seek to show how Korean-American relations were established and developed after the 1882 treaty, in all their complexity, marked by duality and dominance, and they have succeeded in doing so. Bibliography Lee, Yur-Bok, and Wayne Patterson (eds.). One Hundred Years of Korean-American Relations, 1882-1982. University, Alabama: University Of Alabama Press, 1986.
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Some common words found in the essay are:
King Kojong, Korea Japan, Korea United, Von Mollendorff, Eastern Western, South Korean, Western- Eastern-oriented, South Korea, Chemulp'o Treaty, Ultimately Korea, von mollendorff, von mollendorff's, king kojong, korean-american relations, mollendorff's policies, von mollendorff's policies, south korea, duality dominance, korean government, korea king kojong, korea lee, argue korea, bibliography lee yur-bok, korean government tends, absorption korea japan,
Approximate Word count = 2118
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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