Research Paper on:
South Korea and the Presence of the United States Military

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Justification for the contemporary presence of U.S. military troops in South Korea revolves around long and complex background which dates to the  end of World War II. Rather than achieving independence as the United States, Great Britain, and China had promised the country during the war, Korea was arbitrarily divided into  two political zones to accommodate Soviet troops to the North and Americans to the South (Deane, 1995). Future UN attempts to reunite the country were resisted by the Soviet  Union. Since that division the relationship between the two countries has been somewhat complex, varying from amiable to confrontational dependent to a large degree on the relationship between the United  States and the Soviet Union. As U.S. and U.S.S.R. relationships worsened so too did the relationship between North and South Korea. This was particularly devastating in that the  two areas had previously been dependent on one another both economically and culturally. Since the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, however, the situation in Korea alternately bettered then  worsened. Although in recent years there has been considerable momentum toward a reconciliation of North and South Korea the stage is not yet ready for the withdrawal of U.S.  troops. Indeed, the presence of the U.S. military continues to be a justifiable stabilizer in a potentially turbulent area. Prior to World  War II the relationship between the northern and southern regions of Korea had been complimentary. The changes which occurred in both North Korea and South Korea after the separation  of the two countries, however, have been tremendous. Originally the separation between North and South in terms of their economic potential was mutually complimentary. While the Norths strength