South Korea could gravitate toward China.

• Author: Fein, Geoff S.
• Position: Washington Pulse - Brief Article

South Korea may choose eventually to depart the security framework led by the United States in favor of siding with China, according to Jae Ho Chung, a Brookings Institution visiting fellow and a professor at Seoul National University. The expanding South Korea-China relationship has raised concern among U.S. policy experts, he said.

While North Korea still remains a security threat in the South, developments in the region are likely to precipitate certain changes in the half-century alliance between Seoul and Washington, he wrote in a paper, entitled "How America Views China-South-Korea Bilateralism."

The South Korea-United States alliance is no longer an indispensable frontline checkpoint against communism in East Asia, he wrote. "The curious relationship between Seoul and Beijing has come a long way from antagonistic enemies to cooperative partners for the future," Chung said. "Seoul's unprecedented efforts to devise a strategic balance between Washington and Beijing have been a source of' sour feelings and grave concern" for the United States.

South Korea's...