Korea Policy
From the Issue
Korea Policy Vol. 3, Issue 1About Korea Policy
Korea Policy is the premier journal for analysis and commentary on developments affecting the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Bridging scholarly insight and policy relevance, Korea Policy features original research and expert perspectives on strategic, political, economic, and other issues shaping Korea’s role in the world. In this way, KEI aims to inform academic debate, guide policy discussions, and foster a deeper understanding of the important partnership between the United States and South Korea. Contributions come from leading scholars, practitioners, and emerging voices across various fields.
Korea Policy is an open-source academic journal commissioned, edited, and published by the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington, D.C
The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in 2025 has brought a renewed emphasis on “America First” foreign policy, marked by a strategic retrenchment that challenges the postwar liberal international order. This approach threatens U.S. alignment with democratic allies and reconfigures the geopolitical landscape into spheres of influence. For South Korea, these shifts come at a moment of domestic political transition, introducing significant uncertainties in alliance management and regional security. The decreasing reliability of the United States as a global leader may embolden adversarial powers and complicate South Korea’s ability to balance between the United States and China.
Policy Recommendations
- Korean policymakers should reaffirm commitments to traditional allies to restore trust in U.S. leadership and deter adversarial alignment. In doing so, the United States should maintain forward military presence and institutional cooperation mechanisms to ensure Indo-Pacific stability.
- Korean leadership should avoid transactional approaches to alliances that reduce strategic cohesion and amplify uncertainty.
- South Korea should maintain close communication with the United States and minimize any gaps in policy coordination. At the same time, the country should also diversify minilateral cooperation with like-minded countries to offset U.S. unpredictability.
- The new South Korean government should not dichotomously distinguish between values-based diplomacy and pragmatic diplomacy.