By Ling Shengli
凌胜利
Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Suh Wook spoke by phone with his counterpart Lloyd J. Austin, the new Secretary of Defense of the Biden administration, according to foreign media reports January 24. The two reiterated that the US-ROK alliance is ironclad, and the two defense departments will continue to maintain close cooperation. At present, the ROK government has clearly released a signal to improve the US-ROK relations in the face of the Biden administration. Whether the US-ROK alliance will develop is a matter of concern.
据外媒1月24日报道，韩国国防部长官徐旭与美国拜登政府的新任防长奥斯汀通电话，重申美韩联盟牢不可摧，两国防务部门将继续保持紧密合作。当前，面对拜登政府，韩国政府明确释放出改善美韩关系的信号，美韩联盟是否将有所发展令人关注。
The US-ROK alliance has become an important support for the US in Northeast Asia after nearly 70 years of development. However, during the Trump administration, the US adopted a "transactionalism" attitude towards alliance relations. It treated security support to allies as commodities, which required allies to pay corresponding fees, and both tolerance and support for allies dropped. The Biden administration is different. In its inaugural speech, Biden clearly stated that it should improve relations with allies. The ROK hopes to continue to consolidate the alliance with the US and cooperate closely on the denuclearization and security of the Korean Peninsula. The US has stated that it will communicate more with the ROK on the peninsula nuclear issue.
历经近70年发展的美韩联盟，已经成为美国在东北亚地区的重要依托。但在特朗普执政期间，美国对联盟关系采取了一种“交易主义”的态度，把对盟国的安全支持视为商品，需要盟国支付相应的费用，对盟国的包容度、支持度都有所下降。拜登政府与之不同，在就职演说中，明确提出要改善联盟关系。韩国希望与美国继续巩固联盟，在朝鲜半岛无核化和安全方面进行密切合作，美国则表示在处理朝核问题上会更多地与韩国进行沟通。
The above situation shows that the US and the ROK have their own expectations for the alliance during the Biden administration. However, the development will still face multiple difficulties.
上述情形表明，美韩双方在拜登政府时期对联盟各有期望。但美韩联盟的发展仍将面临多重困境。
The first is how to promote the gradual resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. The ROK government hopes that through its own central coordination, it can promote the warming of US-DPRK relations and thereby stabilize the situation on the peninsula. The ROK government hopes that it can continue to play the role of "coordinator" during the Biden administration. However, the Biden administration is facing the stalemate left over by the Trump administration on the peninsula nuclear issue. Thus, it isn't easy to make a breakthrough.
一是如何推动朝核问题的逐步解决。韩国政府希望通过自身的居中协调，能够促进美朝关系的缓和，进而能够促进朝鲜半岛形势的稳定。韩国政府希望在拜登政府期间，韩国能够继续发挥“协调者”的作用。不过，显然拜登政府面临着特朗普政府遗留下来的朝核问题的僵持局面，想要有所突破存在难度。
The second is the negotiation of the defense cost-sharing between the US and the ROK. The sharing of defense costs between the US and the ROK is an old issue among their alliance. Although the two countries have experienced such frictions many times in the past, the amount's changes were not too substantial, and they were eventually resolved. However, the previous asking price by the Trump administration was too high. The excessive increase in the cost of the US military in the ROK made it difficult for the country to accept. The two sides negotiated many times, but they failed to come up with a solution. This even affected the operation of the US military in South Korea. As the Biden administration took power, the problem of defense cost-sharing is expected to be resolved. After all, Biden promised not to "blackmail" South Korea by withdrawing US troops. The recent phone call between the two defense ministers is also intended to promote the continued development of the US-South Korea alliance, and the two sides do not want to delay such development due to the contradiction in defense cost-sharing.
二是美韩防务费用分担的协商。美韩防务费用分担是美韩联盟之间的老问题，虽然历史上两国曾出现过多次此类摩擦，不过由于金额变动都不算太大，最终都能得到解决。但特朗普政府此前的要价实在太高，驻韩美军费用增幅过大令韩国难以接受，双方多次协商未果，甚至影响了驻韩美军的运作。如今，随着拜登政府上台，防务费用分担问题有望得到解决。毕竟，拜登承诺不会以撤出驻韩美军来“敲诈”韩国。两国防长最近的通话也有意推动美韩联盟继续发展，不想因为防务费用分担的矛盾而有所耽搁。
The third is the uncertainties in multilateral cooperation between the US and the ROK. Compared with the Trump administration, the Biden administration is more active in multilateralism. ROK President Moon Jae-in recently expressed his hope to strengthen the US-ROK alliance through cooperation on global issues such as health, security, economy, and climate change. But as far as the Biden administration is concerned, domestic issues are imminent and will indeed occupy the priority agenda. There is still uncertainty about how much energy and how much the US can do in foreign policy, especially in global governance. In terms of multilateral cooperation, the interest relationships between allies are complicated, and it remains to be seen to what extent the cooperation between the US and the ROK can be implemented.
三是美韩多边合作存在不确定性。相对于特朗普政府而言，拜登政府在多边主义方面更加积极。韩国总统文在寅近日也表态希望通过卫生、安全、经济、气候变化等全球性问题方面的合作加固美韩联盟。但对拜登政府而言，目前美国国内问题迫在眉睫，必定会占据优先议程，在对外政策特别是在全球治理方面能有多少精力和多大作为还存在不确定性。在多边合作方面，盟国之间的利益关系错综复杂，美韩之间的合作究竟能落实到多大程度，还需要打一个问号。
To sum up, as the Biden administration gradually takes its place, the US-ROK alliance will usher in a new phase. However, the focus of the Biden administration's initial governance will mainly be domestic issues, and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and restoring the economy are the top priorities. For the US-ROK alliance, related tasks are placed in order of difficulty. It is easier for them to resolve internal issues and increase multilateral cooperation. Still, it is more difficult to coordinate on such issues as the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
总之，随着拜登政府逐步就位，美韩联盟将迎来新的阶段。不过，拜登政府执政初期的施政重心主要是国内议题，抗击疫情和恢复经济是重中之重。对于美韩联盟而言，相关任务存在由易到难的顺序，美韩双方解决彼此间的内部问题和增加多边合作更为容易，但在解决朝核等问题上协调难度较大。
(The author is Secretary-General of the Center for International Security Studies at China Foreign Affairs University.)
（作者系外交学院国际安全研究中心主任）
