Diplomatic ties between the United States and the Koreanpeninsula have faced many shifts ever since the mid-20thcentury. From the proxy Korean War (1950-1953) during theCold War to various tension-evoking events leading up tocontemporary relations between the U.S. and North Korea,the U.S. has played a major role in the development of bothSouth and North Korea’ s policies and relationships with therest of the international community. Based on this brief casestudy of the Korean War and current relations with the DemocraticPeople’ s Republic of Korea (DPRK), many aspects ofU.S. actions abroad help illuminate reasons, motives, and evenjustifications of certain foreign policy decisions, specificallythose related to North and South Korea.

A byproduct of the overarching Cold War of the mid-20thcentury, the Korean War intensified tensions between communistand non-communist states within the internationalcommunity, especially those between the U.S. and the DPRK.

In essence, the Korean War marked a significant turning pointfor U.S. diplomatic relations with both North and South Korea,whether for better or worse.

According to hegemonism, the U.S. is principally interestedin world affairs to promoteand maintain stability withinthe international political andeconomic system. It is in thebest interest of the U.S. to preventthe spread of instabilitywithin the international community,because instability canyield negative consequencesfor the U.S. itself. By interveningin the Korean War, theU.S. reinforced its stance asthe global superpower thatmanaged to stop the spread ofcommunism to at least SouthKorea.

In very broad terms, theU.S. has maintained its stanceas a world superpower that makes decisions for the better ofall states. The Korean War reinforced the power of the U.S.

during the Cold War and its determination to contain communism,while current relations with North Korea call fora more realist approach to dealing with such a threateningpower.

Emily Chae
Cerritos High School9th Grade

<Emily Chae>