ABSTRACT
South Korea has become a major regional power and an indispensable member of the trilateral group Japan, China and South Korea. There was a lack of understanding of the negotiating style of the North Koreans by the Americans. This chapter focuses on South Korea's rise to understand the changes in its perception of self and the others. One of South Korea's major concerns in 2012 is to reduce its dependence on the Chinese market as, first, there is little scope for expansion of exports, and, second, it has to reduce its vulnerability to China's risks. But once China began asserting itself on various fronts, including, insisting that the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo was part of their history, South Koreans began taking note of China's rise and analyse its implications for Korea. With China's military modernization, though Japan and South Korea are no matching China's weapon for weapon, but they are equipping themselves by matching capabilities.
