Strengthening the ROK-US alliance; Freedom is not free
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been celebrating the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance. The alliance is considered to have begun with the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea on Oct. 1, 1953, in Washington D.C. and became effective on Nov. 18, 1954. The most powerful nation in the entire world, at that time, had agreed to a mutual defense treaty with a poor and devastated nation.
The ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty (ROKUS MDT) was a concession that was provided to Korea in exchange for Korea not to sabotage the armistice process between the United Nations' forces and the communists. Additionally, Korea was promised long-term economic assistance which started with a $200 million package, the U.S. agreed to train and fund additional ROK military combat divisions to a total of 12 units and security consultation between Korea and the U.S. was to be maintained.
In 1955, more than 50 percent of the South Korean government budget came from U.S. aid but U.S. policy was only to feed the Korean people. It was up to the Koreans to lay a plan for the future and the Koreans spent 10 percent of their national budget on education. This was possible because the United States maintained American soldiers on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore at the core of the ROK-U.S. alliance is the military relationship between Korea and the United States.
The 2007 free trade agreement between the two nations, the 2023 Washington declaration on extended deterrence, and the popularity of K-pop in the U.S. are great examples of how the relationship has evolved but all of this was possible because of the American men and women in uniform who served in Korea along with Korean armed forces. The military relationship between the U.S. and Korean soldiers extended outside of the Korean peninsula during the Vietnam War where nearly half a million South Korean soldiers fought with American soldiers for more than seven years. Korean soldiers were in Iraq and Afghanistan and, at one point during the occupation in Iraq, Korean troops were the third largest contingent in support of the U.S. effort.
Having recognized the fact that the ROK-U.S. military relationship is at the core of the alliance we must take a look at the challenges that their militaries face today despite the great initiatives by the political leaders of both the U.S. and Korea. First, the South Korean military is not trained to standards. This is because the Korean military leadership is incapable of adjusting to the societal shifts and pressures coming from liberal Korean social and political initiatives. This failure, in turn, results in the Korean military’s inability to gain the support of the Korean public and without public support one cannot conduct the necessary training that is vital for effective security.
The Korean public must awaken to the fact that everyone must sacrifice and do their part for national security. We must pay taxes, serve in the military and make sacrifices. People are entitled to compensation but recent demands for fairness have prevented live fire training, nighttime operations and, unless a military commander is willing to risk his career, he cannot train. If the Korean military is not trained and ready we cannot be reliable allies to the United States let alone defend ourselves. The Korean public must make a decision. The security problem is not a military problem it is a Korean societal issue and can only be solved by the Korean people.
As Korean society debates its options, the Korean military must also make drastic changes to the way it thinks and its preparedness. Our efforts for denuclearization have failed and North Korea has nuclear weapons. North Korea has shunned our efforts for peace and threatens our peace and security with new conventional military capabilities with support from Russian President Vladimir Putin. China would rather have a nuclear-armed North Korea next to its borders than a unified Korea with democratic values and free ideas. All this puts Kim Jong-Un in a better position to challenge South Korea.
North Korea will do everything it can to force the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Korea because they believe that as long as there are American soldiers in Korea they cannot force their will on the South. The U.S. has its national interests to stay in Korea but South Korea must do its part to be ready. Not because we cannot or should not rely on the United States or because we cannot trust the U.S. but because it is in Korea’s best interests and because it is the right thing to do.
There are two simple truths to peace: If you want peace, prepare for war and freedom is not free.
Chun In-bum (truechun@naver.com) served as a lieutenant general of the ROK Army and commander of Special Forces Korea.