Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:53:49.878Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Between Balancing and Bandwagoning: South Korea's Response to China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2016

David C. Kang
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Why has South Korea accommodated China, instead of fearing its growth and balancing against it? This article makes two central arguments. First, concepts of balancing and bandwagoning are fundamentally difficult to test, and to the extent that the theory can be tested, it appears to be wrong in the case of South Korea. In fact, we observe many cases in which rising powers are neither balanced nor “bandwagoned” but are simply accommodated with no fundamental change either way in military stance or alignment posture. Second, the factors that explain South Korean foreign policy orientation toward China are as much about interests as they are about material power. South Korea sees substantially more economic opportunity than military threat associated with China's rise; but even more importantly, South Korea evaluates China's goals as not directly threatening.

Keywords

balance of poweraccommodationChinaKoreaUS alliance
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 1 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bennett, , Bruce. 2006. “A Brief Analysis of the Republic of Korea's Defense Reform Plan.” RAND Occasional Paper. Santa Monica: RAND. Available at http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP165/ (accessed October 15, 2007).Google Scholar
Betts, Richard K. 1993/94. “Wealth, Power, and Instability: East Asia and the United States After the Cold War.” International Security 18: 34–77.Google Scholar
Brooks, Stephen, and Wohlforth, William. 2005. “Hard Times for Soft Balancing.” International Security 30: 72–108.Google Scholar
Brzezinski, Zbigniew, and Mearsheimer, John. 2005. “Clash of the Titans.” Foreign Policy 146: 47–50.Google Scholar
Bush, George W. 2006. “President Bush and President Hu of People's Republic of China Participate in Arrival Ceremony,” April 20. Available at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060420.html (accessed January 17, 2007).Google Scholar
Cha, Victor. 2003. “Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense, and Stability: A Case for Cautious Optimism.” In Asian Security Order, ed. Alagappa, Muthiah, 458–496. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Cha, Victor, and Kang, David. 2003. Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Choi, Kang, and Joon-sung, Park. 2007. “An Assessment of the ROK's Defense and Security Requirements in Alternative Futures.” Paper presented at the NBR/KiFS conference “U.S.-ROK Alliance: Implications of an Alternative Future,” Seoul, September 10–11.Google Scholar
Christensen, Thomas. 2001. “Posing Problems Without Catching Up: China's Rise and Challenges for U.S. Security Policy.” International Security 25: 5–40.Google Scholar
Christensen, Thomas. 2006. “Fostering Stability or Creating a Monster? The Rise of China and U.S. Policy in East Asia.” International Security 31: 81–126.Google Scholar
Chung, Jae-ho. 2007. Between Ally and Partner: Korea-China Relations and the United States. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Ellings, Richard, and Eberstadt, Nicholas, eds. 2001. Korea's Future and the Great Powers. Seattle: University of Washington Press.Google Scholar
Fearon, James, and Wendt, Alexander. 2002. “Rationalism v. Constructivism: A Skeptical View.” In Handbook of International Relations Theory, ed. Carlsnaes, Walter, Risse, Thomas, and Simmons, Beth, 52–72. London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Fravel, Taylor. 2005. “Regime Insecurity and International Cooperation: Explaining China's Compromises in Territorial Disputes.” International Security 30: 46–83.Google Scholar
French, Howard. 2005. “Doubting U.S., China Is Wary of Korea Role.” New York Times, February 19. Available at www.nytimes.com/2005/02/19/international/asia/19china.html?pagewanted=1 (accessed June 16, 2006).Google Scholar
Friedberg, Aaron. 1993/94. “Ripe for Rivalry.” International Security 18: 5–33.Google Scholar
Gilpin, Robert. 1981. War and Change in World Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Goh, Evelyn. 2005. Meeting the China Challenge: The U.S. in Southeast Asian Regional Security Strategies. Policy Studies 16. Washington, DC: East-West Center.Google Scholar
Goh, Evelyn. 2007/08. “Great Powers and Hierarchical Order in Southeast Asia: Analyzing Regional Security Strategies.” International Security 32: 113–157.Google Scholar
Goldstein, Avery. 2005. Rising to the Challenge: China's Grand Strategy and International Security. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Gries, Peter. 2005. “The Koguryo Controversy: National Identity, and Sino-Korean Relations Today.” East Asia 22: 3–17.Google Scholar
Han, Yong-sup. 2006. “Analyzing South Korea's Defense Reform 2020.” Korean Journal of Defense Analysis 18: 112–134.Google Scholar
Ikenberry, G. John, ed. 2002. America Unrivaled: The Future of the Balance of Power. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Ikenberry, G. John, ed. 2004. “American Hegemony and East Asian Order.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 58: 353–367.Google Scholar
Japan Policy and Politics. 2005. “Japan Displeased S. Korean Naval Vessel Named After Disputed Islets.” July 18. Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2005_July_18/ai_n14797918 (accessed July 23, 2005).Google Scholar
Jervis, Robert. 1978. “Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma.” World Politics 30: 167–214.Google Scholar
Johnston, Alastair Iain. 2007. Social States: China in International Institutions, 1980–2000. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Jung, Sung-ki. 2008a. “South Korea Seeks Closer Military Ties with China.” Defense News, September 1.Google Scholar
Jung, Sung-ki. 2008b. “S. Korea Mulls Cutting Military Ties with Japan.” Korea Times, September 5. Available at www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/205_30620.html (accessed September 10, 2008).Google Scholar
Kang, David C. 2007. China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Kang, David C. 2008. “South Korea's Not-so-sharp Right Turn.” Current History 107: 256–262.Google Scholar
Kaufman, Stuart, Little, Richard, and Wohlforth, William, eds. 2007. The Balance of Power in World History. London: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Kennedy, Paul. 1987. The Rise and Fall of Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000. New York: Random House.Google Scholar
Kim, Chang-gyu. 2004. “Korean Banks Race into China Market.” Joongang Ilbo, July 1.Google Scholar
Kydd, Andrew. 2005. Trust and Mistrust in International Relations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Lankov, Andrew. 2008. “Staying Alive: Why North Korea Will Not Change.” Foreign Affairs 87: 9–16.Google Scholar
Layne, Christopher. 1993. “The Unipolar Illusion: Why New Great Powers Will Rise.” International Security 17: 5–51.Google Scholar
Ledyard, Gari. 1994. “Cartography in Korea.” In Cartography in the Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies, ed. Harley, J. B. and Woodward, David, 277–321. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Lee, Seong-hyon. 2006. “More South Koreans Look to China as Educational Destination.” Hankyoreh Sinmun, August 9.Google Scholar
Lieber, Keir, and Alexander, Gerard. 2005. “Waiting for Balancing: Why the World Is Not Pushing Back.” International Security 30: 109–139.Google Scholar
Evan, Medeiros, and Fravel, Taylor. 2003. “China's New Diplomacy.” Foreign Affairs 82: 22–35.Google Scholar
Moon, Ihlwan. 2004. “Korea's China Play.” BusinessWeek, March 29.Google Scholar
Morrow, James D. 1993. “Arms Versus Allies: Tradeoffs in the Search for Security.” International Organization 47: 207–253.Google Scholar
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). 2006. “U.S. Planning Joint Naval Drills with China,” May 11.Google Scholar
Nixon, Richard M. 1967/68. “Asia After Viet Nam.” Foreign Affairs 46: 111–133.Google Scholar
Papayounou, Paul, and Kastner, Scott. 1999. “Sleeping with the Potential Enemy: Assessing the U.S. Policy of Engagement with China.” Security Studies 9: 164–195.Google Scholar
Pape, Robert A. 2005. “Soft Balancing Against the United States.” International Security 30: 7–45.Google Scholar
Park, Sung-ha, and Han, Ae-ran. 2006. “Nihao mom? A Mandarin Approach to Child-Rearing, Schools for Overseas Chinese See More Korean Students than Ever.” Joongang Ilbo, March 14.Google Scholar
Paul, T. V. 2005. “Soft Balancing in the Age of U.S. Primacy.” International Security 30: 46–71.Google Scholar
Powell, Robert. 1999. In the Shadow of Power: States and Strategies in International Politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Ross, Robert. 1999. “The Geography of the Peace: East Asia in the Twenty-first Century.” International Security 23: 81–118.Google Scholar
Roy, Denny. 1994. “Hegemon on the Horizon? China's Threat to East Asian Security.” International Security 19: 149–168.Google Scholar
Rozman, Gilbert. 2004. Northeast Asia's Stunted Regionalism: Bilateral Distrust in the Shadow of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sagan, Scott. 1988. “The Origins of the Pacific War.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 18: 893–922.Google Scholar
Schweller, Randall. 1994. “Bandwagoning for Profit: Bringing the Revisionist State Back In.” International Security 19: 72–107.Google Scholar
Schweller, Randall. 2004. “Unanswered Threats: A Neoclassical Realist Theory of Under-balancing.” International Security 29: 159–201.Google Scholar
Scofield, David. 2004. “China Puts Korean Spat on the Map.” Asia Times, August 19.Google Scholar
Sechser, Todd. 2006. “Winning Without a Fight: Power, Reputation, and Compellent Threats.” PhD diss., Stanford University.Google Scholar
Shambaugh, David. 2004/05. China Engages Asia: Reshaping the Regional Order. International Security 29: 64–99.Google Scholar
Snyder, Scott. 2008. “The Emergence of Sino-ROK-US Triangular Relations and North Korea.” Manuscript.Google Scholar
Tellis, Ashley. 2006. “Trade, Interdependence, and Security in Asia.” In Strategic Asia 2006-07: Trade, Interdependence, and Security, ed. Tellis, Ashley and Wills, Michael, 3–25. Seattle: National Bureau of Asian Research.Google Scholar
US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). 2004. World Refugee Survey 2004. Washington, DC: USCRI.Google Scholar
US Department of Defense. 2000. “32nd Republic of Korea-United States Security Consultative Meeting, Joint Communiqué, September 21, 2000, Seoul, Korea.” Available at www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=2676 (accessed September 9, 2008.) Google Scholar
US Department of State. 2005. “Deputy Secretary Zoellick Statement on Conclusion of the Second U.S.-China Senior Dialogue,” December 8. Available at www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/57822.htm (accessed July 15, 2007).Google Scholar
Van Evera, Stephen. 1999. Causes of War: Power and the Roots of Conflict. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Waldron, Arthur. 2003. “The Chinese Sickness.” Commentary 116: 39–46.Google Scholar
Walt, Stephen. 1987. The Origins of Alliances. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Waltz, Kenneth N. 1979. Theory of International Politics. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Waltz, Kenneth N. 1993. “The Emerging Structure of International Politics.” International Security 18: 44–79.Google Scholar
Wan, Ming. 2003. “Economic Interdependence and Economic Cooperation: Mitigating Conflict and Transforming Security Order in Asia.” In Asian Security Order, ed. Alagappa, Muthiah, 280–310. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Wohlforth, William. 1999. “The Stability of a Unipolar World.” International Security 24: 5–41.Google Scholar
Womack, Brantley. 2003/04. “China and Southeast Asia: Asymmetry, Leadership, and Normalcy.” Pacific Affairs 76: 529–548.Google Scholar