Causes of the Kim Young-sam Administration’s Failure to Revise the South Korea–U.S. Missile Guidelines

• Author :  Ji-il Kim
• Journal : Korean Journal of Political Science
• Publisher : the Korean Political Science Society
• Volume : 28(4)
• Date : 2020.11
• DOI: 10.34221/KJPS.2020.28.4.1

Abstract : The purpose of this study is to analyze the causes for the failure of the Kim Young- sam administration to revise the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines. The missile guidelines have been revised on four occasions by the governments of Kim Dae-jung, Lee Myung-bak, and Moon Jae-in, yet despite its clear willingness to amend the guidelines, the administration of Kim Young-sam was unable to negotiate a revision. This study explores the reasons for the failure and makes two important contributions. First, it carries out a theoretical approach through the historical context of the South Korea-U.S. missile agreement. Second, it explores the reality of the South Korea-U.S. missile agreement and suggests meaningful directions for new negotiations. The study reveals similar characteristics across all governments. However, the Kim Young-sam administration exhibited strong hostility toward North Korea, raising the issue of the risk of entrapment during the South Korea-U.S. missile negotiations.