The Rise and Fall of South Korea’s 586 Generation: Implications for the US Alliance

Washington’s biggest concern in its relationship with South Korea has been returning to a stance consistent with active engagement in the IndoPacific region. In response to June 2020 remarks by a senior South Korean official that his country had the right to choose between the US and China, the US State Department commented that South Korea had already chosen the US several decades ago when it abandoned authoritarianism and embraced democracy. In October 2021, although Washington officially welcomed the declaration of an end to the Korean War—a proposal that had been promoted for several years by the Moon Jae-in administration—the Biden administration expressed de facto opposition by insisting that it be linked to tangible North Korean denuclearization measures. With the March 2022 election of candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party, expectations are growing that the US-South Korea alliance will return to its previous role and regain its old strength. South Korea’s new president believes that Seoul’s reluctance under Moon to take a firm stand on issues challenging relations between Washington and Beijing, including policy toward