User:Lstitz/Mutual Defense Treaty (United States - South Korea)

US - ROK relationships prior to the Mutual Defense Treaty
The first treaty ever established between the United States and Korea occurred in 1882 with the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation. This treaty was between the US and the Joseon Dynasty and a year later in 1883 the first American diplomat traveled to Korea and created a more permanent alliance which lasted until the Japanese colonialization in 1910. In the aftermath of the defeat of the Axis, Korea was separated into two different sections and each of these halves was supported by one of the two major powers of the world. South Korea was created and was backed by the United States, while North Korea was founded and supported by the Soviet Union. It was during this time in 1949 that the US once again forged a bond with Korea, and in 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea and began the Korean War.

Effects of the treaty
The Mutual Defense Treaty between South Korea and the United States had many lasting effects. From weeks after the treaty was signed to present day, the Mutual Defense Treaty effected both South Korea and the United States in unexpected ways. In regards to South Korea, the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty quickly ended the Korean War. America achieved their goal to gain control of South Korean Security as the number of American troops sanctioned to live in the south of the Korean Peninsula climbed to 28,500 where they began to control operations. As the effects of the Mutual Defense Treaty began to benefit the United States alone, the Mutual Defense Treaty was revealed as a vague and opportunistic agreement, leaving room for violations.

The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed only two months prior to the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, in which the United States clearly and knowingly violated the agreements therein. The United States quickly began to reap the benefits that their violations permitted them. The United States continues this behavior with the Mutual Defense Treaty as their true motives are revealed as the years go on. From China's watching perspective, the Mutual Defense Treaty dramatically changed through the years, allowing moving room for violations of the treaty. From their point of view, the agreement continued to grow in strength towards the benefit of the United States while South Korea watched in fear of the potential threats that it brought forth.

The Mutual Defense Treaty also had substantial effects on the economies of both The United States and South Korea. Although a majority of the effects of the Mutual Defense Treaty are in favor of the United States, South Korea's economy dramatically increased as a result of this relationship. In regards to other US alliances, there has not been a change as dramatic as the increase of South Korea's economic wealth. From the time that the Mutual Defense Treaty was signed in 1953 to 2015, South Koreans went from being ten percent as wealthy as Americans to seventy percent as wealthy as Americans. As a result of this sudden change, South Korea faced a change in expectations regarding their technology innovations. South Korea has depended on the United States for their technology prior to the Mutual Defense Treaty, however, they have encountered a new pressure to develop their own defense technologies now that they have the economic power to do so as a result of the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Despite specific benefits provided to both the United States and South Korea, the Mutual Defense Treaty proved to contain many flaws. It developed into an extremely complicated agreement between the two parties involved and slowly revealed the true motives behind both the United States and South Korea. As the United States sought control and South Korea sought stability, both countries involved revealed their ulterior motives to gain the most power possible as the Mutual Defense Treaty spiraled into a complicated and complex justification to dominate each other in the ways that they desired.

South Korean beliefs about the treaty
After the signing of the treaty there was tension between the Republic of Korea and the United States due to many people in South Korea believed that the United States would not hold up their side of the treaty. This belief was strengthened with the withdrawal of troops under the presidencies of Nixon and Carter. Another point of contention was in 1980 and had to do with the belief that many of the U.S. troops stationed in Korea were supportive of Park Chung-hee.

In 2009, under the Obama administration, the White House released a Joint Vision Statement in which it stated the goals of the two nations going forward. The statement put forth that the Mutual Defense Treaty has acted as the foundation for the rest of the cooperation that has occurred between the Republic of Korea and the United States. Going forward the two governments will not only focus on security, but also economic, political, and social issues and interactions.

With the advent of nuclear weapons, the Treaty soon became more about being protected from the threat of nuclear warfare. In a survey given in 2014 it was found that 52.2 per cent of South Koreans believed that the United States would retaliate with nuclear weapons if North Korea attacked them with nuclear warfare first. While a little over half the citizens in South Korea think the United States would help, it was found that 61.3 per cent of citizens believe that the Republic of Korea needs to create their own arsenal of nuclear weapons.