ABSTRACT
In March 2005, in a speech at the Korean Air Force Academy, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun declared that the South Korean military should contribute to the peace of Northeast Asia as well as the Korean peninsula, and South Korea would play the role of balancer in the power politics of Northeast Asia.1 The remarks, along with his administration’s emphasis on “self-reliant defense capability,” caused controversy and debates about South Korea’s national security strategy. This chapter will discuss whether the new role proposed by the Roh administration represents a new thinking in South Korea’s national security strategy. Especially, the statement raised questions regarding South Korea’s future alliance strategy in the region. Does this mean South Korea will develop a more independent relationship with the United States? As some would predict, will South Korea fall into the expanding China’s sphere of influence? Or, does it mean the third way of balancing itself between the United States and China?
