This is a unique and definitive study to reassess the complex dynamics of US-Korea diplomatic relations during the Reagan presidency. It examines the goals, methods, and legacy of Reagan¿s policy toward Korea with emphasis on the realities of alliance politics and the tactics of quiet diplomacy. It questions a widely held view that Reagan showed simplistic, inattentive, and rigid approaches toward foreign affairs, arguing that his actual policy, as demonstrated in the Korea case, was more sophisticated, nuanced, and pragmatic than commonly assumed. Based on a vast amount of confidential diplomatic documents, especially in Korean, and interviews the author has conducted with US and Korean leaders, Lee sheds new light on Reagan's role in promoting democratization in South Korea as well as his engagement with North Korea.

Chae-Jin Lee is Bank of America Professor of Pacific Basin Studies and Professor of Government (Emeritus) at Claremont McKenna College, USA.

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction: Ronald Reagan's Foreign Policy

Chapter 2: Embracing the Primacy of Alliance and Stability

--A Prelude to Korean Entanglements

--Ronald Reagan Meets Chun Doo Hwan

--Quiet Diplomacy in Action

Chapter 3: Dealing with Tragedies and Crises in Korea

--A Case of an Anti-American Campaign

--Destroying KAL 007 and Bombing in Rangoon

--Ronald Reagan Goes to Seoul and DMZ

Chapter 4: Kim Dae Jung: Exile in America and its Aftermath

--Arranging Kim Dae Jung's Exile in America

--A Dilemma: To Stay or To Go Home

--The Final Reagan-Chun Summit Meeting

Chapter 5: Protests, Succession Struggles, and Economic Relations

--Struggles for Political Succession

--Controversies in Economic Relations

Chapter 6: In Pursuit of Democratization and Engagement

--The Process of Democratization in South Korea

--Peaceful Transfer of Presidential Power

--Modest Engagement toward North Korea

Chapter 7: Assessments and Prospects

--The Functions of Alliance Politics

--The Paradox of Quiet Diplomacy

--The Legacy of Reagan's Korea Policy

Tables:

Index