US-ROK Alliance and Security Cooperation

4 Credits.

This seminar examines the United States–Republic of Korea global comprehensive strategic alliance—its historical foundations, operational architecture, regional context, and defense industrial dimensions. From the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty to the 2023 Washington Declaration and the July 2024 Nuclear Consultative Group Guidelines, the alliance has evolved from a forward-deployed deterrence arrangement into a multi-domain partnership encompassing nuclear planning, defense industrial co-production, and critical technology cooperation. Students engage this evolution through three analytical lenses: IR theory (alliance management, extended deterrence, security cooperation); comparative political economy (developmental state, defense industrial policy, and arms exports); and applied policy analysis (USFK posture, OPCON transition, export controls, and co-development frameworks).