As of 2009, the economic, security and diplomatic circumstances on and around the Korean Peninsula are highly complex and dynamic. While the US, whose economy was cast into tumult by the recent financial crisis, tries to maintain its military hegemony in Northeast Asia, Japan, whose status as the economic leader of East Asia is threatened by China’s recent economic rise, aims to become a “normal nation.” This push by Japan will likely trigger an arms race in Northeast Asia, which in turn will raise tensions between China and Japan. The US-Korea alliance is the pivot of South Korea’s foreign policy. However, strengthening the alliance inevitably forces South Korea to choose a side in the power play between China and Japan in Northeast Asia, adding to the tensions between the two countries. Furthermore, such a policy would not serve Korea’s best interests. Rather than an alliance, neutrality is an appropriate foreign policy for Korea and it is high time we consider neutrality as a viable alternative.
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