U.S. and Korea in Vietnam and the Japan-Korea Treaty: Search for Security,Prosperity and Influence

摘要

This thesis uses significant new evidences from the archives of the JFK and LBJPresidential libraries as well as open primary sources from the U.S. and Korea to shed new light on the Korean involvement in the Vietnam War, the Japan-Korea normalization treaty of 1965 and the connection between the two. Contrary to popular versions of the Korean entry into Vietnam which focus on the economic rationale, this paper argues that security was the principal factor behind Korea's decision. In addition, it provides evidence that, as early as 1962, Korea had been looking for ways to become involved in Vietnam. Although the Korean people were viscerally against the Japan-Korea treaty President Park Chung Hee was able to garner support by using the Vietnam War to unify the country and undermine opposition to the treaty thus gaining the economic foundation for Korean development.