1. South Korea’s Foreign Relations

2. South Korea’s Strategic Posture
Political and security alliance with U.S. since the end of the Korean War in 1953
The major issue is overwhelmingly North Korea
The “Sunshine Policy” of active engagement under President Kim Dae-Jung ( )
Higher tensions under President Lee Myung-Bak ( )

3. U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
The “biggest trade deal since NAFTA” was passed by U.S. Congress in 2011.
During the negotiation process, both administrations faced opposition from strong domestic agricultural lobbies.
Korean rice farmers
U.S. cattle farmers
U.S. automobile industry

4. Korea-Japan Relations
Historical legacies date back two millennia
Cultural proximity
Language family
Written characters
Confucianism
Buddhism
...

5. Japanese Invasions
, Japanese invasion was defeated by joint China-Korea forces.
war between Qing China and Japan over control of Korea.
war between Russia and Japan
1910 Japan annexed Korea

6. Japan’s Occupation 1910-1945 Current historical issues:
Japanese statements of remorse for World War II
Korean laborers during World War II
Korean “comfort women” during World War II
Yasukuni Shrine (convicted war criminals)
...

7. Wartime Atrocities in the Relations
Kono Statement of 1993
The statement, named after then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, contained a landmark apology to the sex slaves known euphemistically in Japan as “comfort women.”
Murayama Statement of 1995
Then socialist Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama ( ) apologized for wartime suffering inflicted by Japan on its Asian neighbors.

8. Normalization of Relations 1965
President Park Chung-Hee of South Korea established diplomatic relations with Japan.
Economic benefits
Resentment

9. Territorial Dispute Dokdo (in Korean) / Takeshima (in Japanese)
South Korean government position:
“Dokdo ... is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law.”
Japanese government position:
“Takeshima is clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in the light of historical facts and based upon international law.”

10. Trading Partners South Korea is Japan’s
3rd largest export market (8%)
6th largest source of imports (5%)
As South Korea’s export destination, Japan dropped from 3rd place (7%) to 5th (4.9%)
As South Korea’s 2nd largest import source, Japan’s share dropped from 12% to 10.5% in 2015.

11. Trade and Investment
2010
2011
2012
2013
Japan-South Korea total trade growth
5.96%
-4.35%
10.55%
Japanese investment in South Korea
$1.085 billion
$2.439 billion
$3.996 billion
$3.286 billion
South Korean investment in Japan
$559 million
$47 million

12. Role of US and China
US bilateral alliances with Japan and with South Korea respectively
Common concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s rising power
China is the top trade partner of Japan and of South Korea

13. South Korea’s Ties with China
Growing economic relationship with China
China passed the U.S. in 2003 to become South Korea’s largest trading partner
In 2015, 26% of South Korea’s exports went to China, nearly double the share for the U.S.
In 2015, 21% of South Korea’s imports came from China, more than the shares of Japan and U.S. combined.

14. South Korea’s New Role in Asia
Playing a “balancing” or mediating role in regional disputes
territorial disputes between China and Japan
nuclear standoff between North Korea and U.S.
Building Seoul into a logistics and business hub for the region
However, actual ability seems limited