ABSTRACT
This chapter examines South Korea's post-Cold War security strategy in terms of inter-Korean relations, the ROK-US alliance, and multilateral security cooperation. It focuses on the dimension of traditional security, non-traditional security issues such as developmental and humanitarian concerns briefly discussed as currently unfolding national security considerations. The US South Korea alliance, which has served as the fundamental pillar of security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia for nearly fifty years, is being challenged by the demand to redefine its raison 'd'etre' and roles. Economic incentives and humanitarian aid effectively channelled through different UN programs and agencies offered to the North are key factors both in ameliorating the abysmal living conditions within North Korea and in improving inter-Korean relations and regional security. Although bilateral efforts such as the inter-Korean dialogues and the ROK-US security alliance remain crucial to South Korea's security, increasing salience of multilateral approaches in the post-Cold War security environment has not been lost on Seoul.
