South Korea's Abortive Search for Autonomy: Explaining Park Chung-hee's Rapprochement with the PLO

摘要

This paper argues that President Park Chung-hee's rapprochement with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) prior to a 1979 Middle East diplomacy summit provides a relevant case for the analysis of South Korean foreign policy within the framework of its pursuit of autonomy amidst conflicts within the asymmetric ROK-U.S. alliance. Park was scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in December of that year, but the meeting never took place due to the 10.26 incident. Enhancing autonomy, as opposed to relying solely on the United States for extended deterrence, was the motivation behind South Korea's pro-PLO policy, and was considered a massive bargaining chip for attaining a beneficial outcome at the scheduled summit. Given this context and the nexus between energy and national security, South Korea expected its detente with the PLO to help promote national security and a self-reliant defense policy, while safeguarding a stable supply of oil in the wake of the second oil crisis. A further incentive for recognizing the PLO was improving deterrent capability against North Korea through diplomatic diversification beyond the traditional Cold War bloc. Considering Park's plan for strategic rapprochement with the PLO and growing conflict with the Carter administration, it is reasonable to assume that the purpose behind his planned visit to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait was to achieve greater autonomy.