Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Security Forum held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance

- Jointly hosted by the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and the Defense Ministry to discuss the direction of development of the alliance
- To mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance, the forum was held with the theme "Strengthening the ROK-US alliance and countering North Korea's nuclear and missile threats"
- Topics of discussion included enhancing the US's extended deterrence and ways to develop Korea's military response capabilities

On July 10, 2023, the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and the Defense Ministry jointly hosted the "Security Forum in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the ROK-US Alliance," at the ROKAUS Hotel.

The forum, marking the 70th Anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, was centered around the theme "Strengthening the ROK-US alliance and countering North Korea's nuclear and missile threats." Its aim was to facilitate constructive discussions about the future development of the alliance.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup stated, "The significant development of today's ROK-US alliance did not happen overnight. It is the result of the joint efforts of South Korea and the United States over the past 70 years. I anticipate that today's forum will reaffirm the value of the 70 years of the ROK-US alliance and lay the groundwork for the next 70 years."

Major figures from South Korea and the United States, including Han Ki-ho, Head of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, and Joey M. Sakurai, Acting US Ambassador to Korea, underscored the significance of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance in their congratulatory speeches.

Han Ki-ho, Head of the committee, lauded the evolution of the ROK-US alliance to a higher level, signified by a shared nuclear strategy through the Washington Declaration issued by the two leaders during President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States in April and the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) as a follow-up.

Brig. Gen. John Weidner, Chief of Staff at the US Forces Korea (USFK), emphasized the importance of operating the NCG, which will further bolster strategic deterrence. He also proposed an operational plan for strategic assets and the planning and implementation of ROK-US joint operations.

The first session, titled "US-China Strategic Competition and the Role of the ROK-US Alliance," evaluated the 70 years of the alliance and suggested directions for future development.

The session was attended by Tak Sung-han, Head of the Future Strategy Research Committee of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) as a moderator; Jeon Jae-sung, a professor of Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Seoul National University as a presenter; John Ikenberry, a chair professor of Princeton University, Ko Myung-hyun, a researcher of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Lee Geun-wook, a professor at Sogang University, and Hwang Tae-hee, a professor at Yonsei University as panelists. In his presentation, Professor Jeon outlined the circumstances in which US foreign policy is engaged and the US Integrated Deterrence strategy. He also presented strategic options that South Korea should consider given recent changes in Northeast Asia.
* US Integrated Deterrence Strategy: A new concept of strategy to create synergies in the battlefield environment in collaboration with allies

Professor Ikenberry discussed the importance of the US-China strategic competition and the ROK-US alliance, emphasizing that the development of the alliance begins with the military.

Professor Lee proposed the direction of South Korea's foreign policy in the rapidly changing global environment, along with an assessment of the US integrated deterrence strategy.

Professor Hwang explained the implications of de-risking discussions on US-China strategic competition and the direction of response for South Korea's foreign policy.

The second session, titled "How to Respond to North Korea's Nuclear and Missile Threats," discussed ways to enhance the extended deterrence and develop Korea’s military response capabilities to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The session was attended by Nam Sung-Wook, Director of the Institute for National Unification and Convergence at Korea University as a moderator; Lee Sang-min, Director of the North Korean Military Research Division at the KIDA as a presenter; Curtis Scaparrotti, Former Commander of US Forces Korea (video), Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, Ham Hyung-pil, Director General for National Defense of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hwang Ji-hwan, a professor at the University of Seoul as panelists.

Director Lee suggested policy developments, including strengthening extended deterrence to cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear threats and improving the ROK 3K Defense capability. In particular, he proposed ways to bolster resilience and enhance interoperability between South Korea and the United States in light of the potential actual use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, garnering considerable attention.

Former Commander of US Forces Korea Scaparrotti outlined the alliance's response priorities as North Korea's nuclear threat escalates.
* The response priorities of the ROK-US alliance are as follows: first, rapid implementation of the Washington Declaration between South Korea and the United States; second, strengthening ROK-US combined communication capabilities; third, strengthening ROK-US combined air and missile defense capabilities; fourth, implementation of robust combined exercises and drills; fifth, specification of the implementation of ROK-US combined intelligence operations.

Professor Park analyzed North Korea's strategy for 2023 and suggested institutional development directions to strengthen integrated expansion deterrence by South Korea and the United States in relation to the establishment of the NCG.

Director Ham emphasized the need for a joint nuclear and conventional weapons integrated response plan for effective deterrence of North Korea. He also suggested the establishment of targeted and customized training programs for cooperation for extended deterrence by both countries.

Professor Hwang discussed the conditions for North Korea's use of nuclear and tactical nuclear weapons. He then argued that deterrence by resilience should also be considered in the conventional deterrence plan.

The Security Forum commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the ROK-US alliance brought together leading scholars, as well as key officials from the government and military from both countries, and the National Assembly's Defense Committee, to discuss more realistic policy suggestions and development directions for the alliance. The Defense Ministry will take into account the various opinions presented at the forum in policymaking to further strengthen the alliance.