This Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey indicates that American public is strongly supportive of an alliance with Korea but less supportive of trade ties.
Introduction
Despite the fact that the United States has maintained a strong alliance with the ROK for over six decades and went to war to prevent the dissolution of the country in 1950, Americans do not seem to be very well informed about South Korea.
Summary
As part of its Global Views 2010 survey of American public opinion on US foreign policy issues, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs included questions to help determine the current state of American thinking on Korea. The findings of this survey are instructive for both policymakers and scholars. They undercut some long-standing conventional wisdom about views of Korea and its future. The findings also offer policymakers in Washington and Seoul some important lessons about how to formulate future policy within the alliance and toward the East Asian region.
Key Findings
- The U.S. – ROK Alliance: Americans assess the value of the U.S.–ROK alliance within the context of its ability to counter a rising China.
- U.S. Military Presence in South Korea: American support for a long-term U.S. military presence in South Korea is relatively strong.
- North Korea Nuclear Issue: Americans support U.S. negotiations with North Korea as a means to end its nuclear program.
- North–South Conflict: American support for U.S. military intervention to aid South Korea in the event of a North Korean attack is stronger in the context of a UN-sponsored multilateral effort.
- Korea–U.S. Free Trade Agreement: American support for Senate approval of the Korea–U.S. free trade agreement is lukewarm. This appears to be the case with free trade agreements in general and is not particular to Korea.
- General U.S. Awareness of South Korea: Despite the fact that the United States has maintained a strong alliance with the ROK for over six decades and went to war to prevent the dissolution of the country in 1950, Americans do not seem to be very well informed about South Korea.
