Bridging the Ambiguity-Explicitness Gap in the U.S.-South Korean Alliance

While this tug-of-war could describe what some romantic couples experience, it can also describe the tension in the U.S.-South Korean alliance over the issue of Seoul’s confidence in U.S. extended nuclear deterrence. Today, a crucial difference in perspective persists between Washington and Seoul regarding the ideal degree of explicitness in U.S. nuclear security commitments and the specific means of achieving them. This divergence, stemming from differing policy preferences and rooted in a disparity of trust between a non-nuclear ally and a nuclear-armed security guarantor, will likely remain despite some improvements over the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration. However, furthering mutual understanding of each other’s position and establishing supplementary institutional mechanisms would likely strengthen trust, tamper calls for South Korean nuclearization, and mitigate the destabilizing consequences of nuclear disagreements between the two longtime allies.

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Read the full text at War on the Rocks here.