S Korea-US alliance good teamwork
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
S. Korea-U.S. alliance good teamwork
Alexander Vershbow, Guest Columnist
4 May 2006
When I signed on to be a U.S. diplomat almost 30 years ago, I never imagined it would lead to playing football with a Super Bowl MVP. Yet two weeks ago, I found myself standing in my living room in Seoul launching a pass to Hines Ward, the Korean American star of the Pittsburgh Steelers and MVP of Superbowl XL.
Much as it was a thrill to be Hines’ ersatz teammate, in the six months that I have been U.S. ambassador to Korea, I have been even more excited to find myself playing a part in taking the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance — Team KORUS (Korea-U.S.), as it were — to the next level of play.
More than 50 years ago, the United States and Korea forged an alliance in the heat of the Korean War. Since then, our relationship has not only become one of the most effective defense alliances around the world, it has flourished into a broader, dynamic partnership.
Where once the sole concern of our alliance was the threat posed by North Korea, the United States and the Republic of Korea are now working together to address regional and global concerns. Today, 3,000 Korean soldiers stand with us in Iraq, doing their part to bring peace and stability to this critical region; only the United Kingdom has sent more troops to Iraq. And in acts of generosity befitting its status as a leading democracy and the world’s 11th-largest economy, Korea has contributed millions of dollars in aid money to alleviate suffering around the world — including $40 million to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Just as cooperation at the official level is flourishing, regular Americans and Koreans are getting to know and like one another better all the time. There are close to 2 million Koreans who call the United States home, and Koreans are traveling to our country in record numbers. Our embassy processed more than 400,000 visitor visas last year. For our part, nearly 100,000 Americans live and work in Korea, and thousands more come as tourists. Two-way exchanges between us are such that today, it may be as easy to savor kimchi and soju in Seattle as it is to grab a burger and beer in Seoul.
With a bilateral relationship that is richer and more important than ever, the time is ripe to take the U.S.-Korea partnership to the next level by unleashing the potential of our trade relationship. The proposed KORUS FTA — or Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement — would do just that.
Trade in goods between the United States and Korea now tops $72 billion a year, and Korea is our seventh-largest trading partner. Mutual investment is thriving as well: Just as we have invested more than $34 billion in Korea the past half-century, in the mere decade since its economic arrival as a full member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea already has invested nearly $15 billion in the United States; Korean companies such as Hyundai and Kia are hoping to build more plants in the United States in order to take advantage of the skills offered by U.S. workers.
By making it easier for Americans and Koreans to do business with one another, an FTA could enable our two-way trade to jump by as much as $20 billion, generating jobs, wealth and greater competitiveness on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Negotiating and ratifying the FTA won’t be easy, but with so much to be gained, I am confident that Team KORUS will be ready to tackle the challenges ahead and score a major touchdown for both countries.
Alexander Vershbow, U.S. ambassador to the Republican of Korea, and the South Korean ambassador to the United States, Lee Tae-Sik, will be in Seattle Friday for two community events with the World Affairs Council.
