U.S.-South Korean Relations

For more than half a century, the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have been close and strong allies, a relationship nurtured under war and the pursuit of common interests. Despite this long and established alliance, U.S.-ROK relations and Korean history are not adequately taught in American high schools. This curriculum unit on U.S.-Korean relations seeks to fill the gap by exposing students to the four core pillars of the alliance: democracy, economic prosperity, security, and socio-cultural interaction. Each pillar supports the U.S.-South Korean relationship in a different and important way.