[Global NK Commentary] Friends With Benefits: Should the Republic of Korea Count on US Extended Nuclear Deterrence?
2020-10-26
[Commentary 43]
Friends With Benefits:
Should the Republic of Korea Count on
US Extended Nuclear Deterrence?
Mason Richey
Associate Professor of International Politics
at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
"Extended nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula: What matter are the provider’s credibility and reliability"
The extended nuclear deterrence provided by the US aims to protect South Korea from a third-party aggressor such as North Korea. However, there are issues related to the provider’s credibility and reliability. In this commentary, Mason Richey, Associate Professor of International Politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, examines whether South Korea should continue to rely on US extended nuclear deterrence by considering the status of the current US-ROK alliance. Professor Richey suggests three “mutually reinforcing paths” including strengthening South Korea’s conventional deterrence capabilities, initiating a Korean Peninsula Nuclear Planning mechanism, and having South Korea take post-US presidential election measures to improve relations with the US. As much as Seoul’s national security depends on Washington, US domestic political factors affect South Korea’s security. In this regard, the upcoming US election may provide a crossroad for the US-ROK alliance. Professor Richey argues that alliance recovery will be easier if Biden gets elected since his administration’s priority is to repair US alliances. [Read Commentary]
