Summary: The Korean Peninsula has historically been a battleground for the major powers. But with successful economic modernisation and transition to democracy, South Korea has sought to navigate rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, and to strategically benefit from China’s economic growth while relying on the United States for security. Dr Snyder discussed debates over South Korea’s strategic choices in the context of rising tensions in Northeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific, including in partnership with Australia. Scott Snyder is Senior Fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a contributor to CFR’s group blog Asia Unbound, and the author of several books about Korean security policy and regional relations in Northeast Asia, most recently South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Power (2018).
