U.S.–South Korean Relations

Comprehensive Unit204 pagesGrade Level: High SchoolIncludes curriculum unit + CD-ROM For more than half a century, the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have been close and strong allies, a relationship nurtured under war and the pursuit of common interests. Despite this long and established alliance, U.S.–ROK relations and Korean history are not adequately taught in American high schools. This curriculum unit on U.S.–Korean relations seeks to fill the gap by exposing students to the four core pillars of the alliance: democracy, economic prosperity, security, and socio-cultural interaction. Each pillar supports the U.S.–South Korean relationship in a different and important way. Lesson One examines South Korea’s maturing democracy, providing students an overview of South Korean democratization and engaging them on the concept of democracy. They also study how the U.S.–ROK relationship affected South Korea’s democratization, and vice versa. Ultimately, students conside