| Publication |
2005.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Despite a long legacy of allied relations, former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung decided not to join the American missile defence programmes. President Roh Moo Hyun has chosen to continue this policy. The choice is controversial but generally very popular among the people of South Korea even though North Korea has been at the forefront of global WMD proliferation, developing nuclear weapons and deploying large numbers of long-range ballistic missiles. As a result, a gulf has emerged between American global strategy and South Korean local politics since President George W. Bush opted to develop missile defence to meet North Korea's increasing missiles threats. These rival choices represent one of the clearest clashes between Washington's 'Offensive Realism' and South Korea's 'Wounded Nationalism'. Although missile defence issues have not been a major part of the public dispute, the general atmosphere has direct effects on missile defence diplomacy. Consequently, the issue is a major symbol of the estrangement between the Republic of Korea and the United States.
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