Abstract
This chapter examines South Korean strategic thinking under Roh Moo-hyun and how it was implemented in dealing with key issues in East Asia: North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, the rise of China, the unresolved history issue with Japan, and alliance restructuring with the United States. Formulating a national security strategy requires defining a nation’s most important priorities, how much they are wanted, what are the sources of possible threats, what means are available, alternative time frames and costs.1 Each country’s national security strategy is shaped by: political objectives; diplomatic, economic, and military resources; historical experience; geography; culture and ideology; the political system; military technology; and so on.2 Inheriting the Sunshine Policy of Kim Dae-jung and the fallout of the nuclear standoff centering on the Bush administration and Kim Jong-il’s regime, Roh faced a difficult strategic environment.
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Notes
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© 2008 Gilbert Rozman, In-Taek Hyun, Shin-wha Lee
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Sheen, SH. (2008). Strategic Thought toward Asia in the Roh Moo-hyun Era. In: Rozman, G., Hyun, IT., Lee, Sw. (eds) South Korean Strategic Thought toward Asia. Strategic Thought in Northeast Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230611917_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230611917_5
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