Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Given that South Korea is the only country on the entire Asian continent where the United States continues to deploy ground forces and air assets, the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea plays a critical role in supporting U.S. power projection in Northeast Asia and by extension, in East Asia.
Unless Asia’s strategically consequential states can significantly mitigate, if not resolve, the region’s political and military deficits, Asia’s rise will never be completed.
Throughout its history, Korea has borne the brunt of the repercussions stemming from great power rivalries in Northeast Asia.
A profound shift is taking place in the geopolitics of East Asia that necessitates key adjustments by all of the principal stakeholders, including South Korea.
From a South Korean perspective, the U.S. rebalance is an important symbolic manifestation of America’s commitment to Asian security and defense.