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Korea-China ties to reinforce US alliance
President Park Geun-hye's successful trip to Beijing has amplified concerns that the Korea-United States alliance will suffer as a result.
Those worries preceded Park's trip, forcing her to consider whether she should skip a massive military parade, the key piece of China's ceremony to mark its part in the World War II victory over Japan. She ultimately decided to attend.
They have not died down since she came back. The concern is based on the supposed offense Washington would take to Park breaking ranks with its allies, whose leaders boycotted the event.
Washington promptly put those concerns to rest by welcoming the summit between Park and Chinese leader Xi Jinping for contributing to regional peace.
The worriers, above all, may ignore the strength and resilience of the alliance and the necessity that Korea plays a bigger role to promote the key cause of the alliance ― lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
That strength is based on American sacrifices. Korea will not and cannot forget that 36,516 U.S. soldiers and support personnel were killed and 92,134 wounded defending us against North Korea's invasion in the 1950-1953 Korean War. From then until now, the U.S. has been a reliable partner in keeping the reclusive North at bay.
As a matter fact, Park closely consulted the U.S. about her trip and went to the extent of having the announcement of her trip to Washington in October take precedence over her Beijing trip. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se also met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who said his country had no objections to Park's trip. These steps showed the utmost importance Seoul attaches to the alliance with the U.S. The government is expected to give a debriefing to the U.S. before and during Park's trip to Washington.
It is also noteworthy that Park addressed two of Washington's biggest concerns in Beijing. Park firmly enlisted Xi's support against the nuclear-armed North, which is also being sought by the U.S. It has tried without success to get China to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
To the great relief of the U.S., Park is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a trilateral summit in October. The two, members of the U.S.-led alliance in Asia, have been estranged, foiling repeated U.S. mediation efforts. Of course, skeptics say that China will never give up on the North, while bad blood between Korea and Japan will remain unresolved for a long time.
If it comes down to a choice between the status quo and a change for peace, few would pick the first. Even if the devil is in details, it would not hurt to give Park's peace approach a chance and see how it pans out.
That requires Washington to be confident about the Seoul-Washington alliance as it has been, and not balk at the friendship between Park and Xi. This looming alliance is limited to creating a consensus about the North's brinkmanship and, when it becomes mature, should be steered in a way to promote peace for the region and beyond.
Korea is ready to "gachigapsida" or go together with the U.S. Now Korea has grown big enough to take a bigger role. The U.S. may see it as Korea lightening the U.S. burden in the alliance by sharing it.
