ABSTRACT
The Koreans have looked upon the United States with intense feelings of unabashed gratitude, love, and trust, alternating with a sense of betrayal, heartbreak, disillusionment, and even hatred. The words "ambivalence" or "love-hate complex" may best describe the underlying feelings Koreans have had toward America and Americans over the past century or so of the Korea-US relationship. The wave of renewed American interest in East Asia that followed the Civil War led to bloody encounters with the Koreans that were destined to worsen the Koreans' opinions of barbarians from the West. When Japan was defeated in 1945 and American soldiers began landing on Korean soil, they were welcomed as liberators. Koreans focused on what they knew about American ideals and anticipated receiving American help in shaping Korean democracy. The Koreans are well aware of the support and have been duly grateful to Americans for their generosity.
