The ROK-U.S. alliance confronts fundamental transformation pressures arising from systemic power transitions and evolving threat landscapes. Strategic adaptation requires innovative institutional arrangements that reconcile traditional security-provision functions with emerging regional security responsibilities. Successful “alliance modernization” demands a strategic synthesis combining expanded geographical and functional scope with enhanced deterrence credibility. South Korean strategic flexibility regarding USFK operational parameters, coupled with U.S. commitments to strengthened extended deterrence provisions, could generate positive-sum outcomes transcending traditional alliance dilemmas.

The trajectory of alliance evolution will significantly influence broader Indo-Pacific strategic stability and regional order construction. Strategic choices regarding ROK-U.S. alliance modernization will establish precedents for alliance adaptation in an era of renewed great-power competition, with implications extending far beyond bilateral security arrangements to encompass regional multilateral security architectures and global strategic stability considerations.

This article is an English Summary of Asan Issue Brief (2025-20).

(‘한미동맹의 전환 요구와 한국형 핵공유의 필요성’)