• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.115-144
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• 2023

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has made clear that "China is America's strategic competitor, revisionist power and a major challenge to America's prosperity and security." The Biden administration has largely inherited this perception of China. China has also responded without backing down. Therefore, the U.S.-China strategic competition has become the most important background factor in the international system and has a great impact on the security situation in Northeast Asia. Nevertheless, if you look at the recent process of establishing trilateral security cooperation among ROK, the U.S. and Japan, we can find that ROK's foreign strategy adjustment has played a key role. This is because establishing trilateral security cooperation among ROK, the U.S. and Japan depends on improving ROK-Japan relations. And the Yoon Suk Yeol government is pushing for rapid improvement in ROK-Japan relations regardless of domestic political constraints. The trilateral summit at Camp David laid the groundwork for future cooperation among ROK, the U.S. and Japan in security and other broader areas. China is strongly dissatisfied with the formation of trilateral security cooperation among ROK, the U.S. and Japan. However, this paper argues that although ROK agrees to form trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, ROK's strategic objectives are not exactly the same as those of the U.S. and Japan. For example, looking back at the development of the U.S.-Japan alliance after the end of the Cold War, both the U.S. and Japan share similar views and perceptions of China's rise. The real goal of the strengthening of the U.S.-Japan alliance in recent years is also how to cope with China's rise. On the other hand, ROK's previous administrations have been negative about trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan. This is because ROK's main strategic goal is to reduce or eliminate threats from DPRK rather than respond to China. Faced with increasing DPRK's provocations and threats, more than half of South Koreans are in favor of reinforcing trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to contain or mitigate threats from DPRK. As a result, if North Korea's nuclear and missile threats to ROK continue, then ROK's foreign strategy is likely to be to strengthen trilateral security cooperation between the U.S. and Japan to ensure its own safety and survival. If China wants to reduce the strategic pressure from the trilateral security cooperation among ROK, the U.S. and Japan, the best way is to reduce DPRK's provocations and threats to ROK and play a more substantive role in getting DPRK to give up its nuclear program.

• Strategy21
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• s.40
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• pp.190-215
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• 2016

As North Korea's asymmetric threats are growing, there have been numerous discussions to find out effective counter-measures and many official plans and procurements efforts have been established. However, discussions on ROK Navy's roles in countering North Korea's asymmetric threats have been taken place very limitedly. Decision makers and military planners put enormous efforts in getting counter-measures, however, most of the options on the table are systems of Army and Air Force. This is true if one looks at components of Kill-Chain, KAMD, and KMPR. With worsening security environment of the Korean peninsula, it has been said by many commentators that ROK Navy needs to consider expanding its roles in countering against North Korea's asymmetric military threats. They asked ROK Navy to go beyond the mind-set that has confined Navy's roles in deterring North Korean naval threats. That is, ROK Navy should fight 'from the sea' as well as fight 'on the sea.' If ROK Navy begins to think about fight 'from the sea,' there would be many possibilities for the Navy to be a part of countering North Korea's asymmetric military threats. In order to pursue proactive roles in countering North Korea's asymmetric threat, ROK Navy needs to consider various options. Massive missile forces, nuclear-propelled submarines, naval special forces may be some of them. With those measures, ROK Navy would launch massive and decisive attacks from the sea without risking survivability of our forces. Considering North Korean Navy's weakness, it is very probable that sea would be safer place than ground or sky. Expanding ROK Navy's roles and being a proactive deterrent forces against North Korean asymmetric threats would provide very reliable counter-measures to South Korean military. Thus, military planners should think how to take the best advantage of expanded ROK Navy's roles and capabilities against North Korean asymmetric threats.

• Strategy21
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• s.42
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• pp.258-292
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• 2017

This paper is designed to make a national strategic concept for the ROK's maritime security and to explore cooperation directions for the ROK Navy and Coast Guard in order to implement the newly-made maritime security strategic concept. As strategy is composed of three main categories(goals, ways, means), the goal of the ROK's maritime security strategy is 'Safe and Affluent Sea' and the way to realize the goal is the principle of cooperative leverage, and the means as tasks to implement the strategic concept are maritime safety, maritime security, and maritime stewardship. The concept of national fleet as used in the US is applied to promoting the cooperation between the ROK Navy and Coast Guard. Thus, under the newly-established maritime security strategic concept along with the national fleet model, followings are suggested as policy proposals for facilitating mutual cooperation between the ROK Navy and Coast Guard in dealing with not only traditional threats but also non-traditional treats at sea and from the sea as well. First, the ROK Navy and Coast Guard has been making efforts to enhance interoperability between the two sea services. However, the mutual cooperations have been focused mainly on areas on operational level rather than policy level. Therefore, the two sea services are recommended to enlarge exchanges and cooperation in policy areas. Second, there are still demands for further cooperation areas between the two sea services in command and communications. The interoperability in C2 between the two needs to be upgraded even to the areas of anti-terrorist activities ar sea, ASUW, ASW, maritime interdiction, etc. Third, mutual comparability between the two needs to be reflected in the maritime forces development to ensure the comparability in UNREP and other logistics areas. Fourth, the standardization of logistical materials and equipments is needed as a way of sustaining operational capability and logistical capacity for the ROK Navy and Coast Guard as well. Fifth, the ROK Navy and Coast Guard are recommended to participate more actively in international maritime cooperation activities such as PASSEX. Sixth, Complementary laws and regulations need further to be revised and to be newly made for collectively managing swiftly maritime accidents and natural disasters at sea.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2008

In this paper, we discuss the current status of ROK-US wargame model interoperability and propose the future federation architecture. ROK and US Armed Forces have made an effort to make their wargame model interoperable to fulfill operational requirements since 1999. Currently, they have achieved some degree of their final goals even though there is long way to go. ROK Armed Forces is now considering future federation architecture. We propose the future federation architecture of ROK-US wargame model interoperability considering technical advantages and system availability. It will be the next federation architecture led by ROK side for the ROK Armed Forces joint exercise and ROK-US combined exercise.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.577-589
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• 2018

The future of ROK-US alliance has not been discussed in detail by both governments since early 2000s. However, it is becoming more apparent that ROK-US alliance is facing various daunting challenges. The new administrations both in ROK and US might have different perspectives about the future of alliance. In the process of resolving outstanding North Korean nuclear issue, the alliance can face challenges to change its fundamental features such as halting joint military exercise. ROK-US governments also agreed to transfer wartime operational control as soon as possible. All those factors indicates the growing necessity to articulate the future of ROK-US alliance. ROK and US needs to facilitate to dialogue for future alliance with the possible scenarios of changing security environment such as maintaining status quo, reconciliation of North and South Korea, and entering the reunification stage. In each phase, ROK-US has to develop the goal for the alliance, military institution to implement the alliance, role of USFK, and etc. It is imperative to develop the road map for future ROK-US alliance at this stage to avoid unnecessary folly.

• Strategy21
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• s.30
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• pp.5-30
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• 2012

Jointness is a core concept of ROK military reform plan. ROK military has pursued to transform its military organization and capability for enhancing jointness and joint operation after the 1990s. It has strengthened the organization of JCS(Joint Chief of Staffs), introduced joint education, and acquired modernized weapons and equipment proper for joint operation. The 1986 Glodwater-Nichols Act of the U.S. military and lessons of the recent war provided a good direction how ROK military should take measures to enhance jointenss. In fact, defense reform efforts for jointness has produced invaluable fruits for transforming industrial age military forces into information age one which possesses more strong combat capabilities and develops joint business for efficient defense management. Nevertheless, there are many issues ROK military should address for stepping up the jointness. This paper well analyzes practical problems and issues ROK military faces to develop jointenss and draws policy recommendations for the policy makers.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.383-395
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• 2023

Since 1997, the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been developing pyro-processing (Pyro) technology to reduce the disposal burden of high-level radioactive waste by recycling spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Compared to plutonium and uranium extraction process, Korean Pyro technology has relatively excellent proliferation resistance that cannot separate pure plutonium owing to its intrinsic characteristics. Regarding Pyro technology development of ROK, the Bush administration considered that Pyro is not reprocessing under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, whereas the Obama administration considered that Pyro is subject to reprocessing. However, the Bush and Obama administrations did not allow ROK to conduct full Pyro activities using SNF, even though ROK had faithfully complied with international nonproliferation obligations. This is because the US nuclear nonproliferation policy to prevent the spread of sensitive technologies, such as enrichment and reprocessing, has a strong effect on ROK, unlike Japan, on a bilateral level beyond the NPT regime for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.17-26
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• 2018

In 1961, the Republic of Korea's first newly-constructed government building was completed. The government building, as ROK office, was erected as a twin with the USOM office in Sejong-ro. The reason why the ROK office and the USOM office were erected as a twin building is that the two offices were part of Foreign Operation Administration's Seoul Buildings Project in 1954. Within the project, the FOA office and the ROK office were rarely separated, and naturally, the ROK office was built according to the US standards. The planning, design, and construction phases which led by the US government were involved in the US architecture, engineering-construction companies. Because those AEC companies were familiar with the US technology and standards. In the phase of construction, Korean companies took part in the process under the supervise of Vinnell Corporation. The US expected to transfer its 'modern' and 'developed' technology through this process. The completed ROK office was widely known as the 'modern style (hyundae-sik)' building, which was body forth as glasses and new facilities. These factors were what the US emphasized for exporting architecture. The modifier, 'modern style (hyundae-sik)', given to the ROK office in the 1950s was a synonym for any new feeling that had never been seen hitherto. The newness of the ROK office, the 'modern style (hyundae-sik)' building, was specified as materials and facilities that indicates modern technology while in the absence of adequate knowledge.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 1992

The KEM1 gene is known to affect microtubule and spindle pole body function during the cell division cycle in Saccharomjyces cerevisiae. To identify new genes with functions similar or related to those of KEM1, we isolated a high copy suppressor gene (ROK1) that suppresses the kem1 mutation when cloned on a high copy number plasmid but not on a low copy number plasmid. Two clones which suppress both the benomyl hypersensitivity and the $Kar^{-}$ enhancing phenotype of kem1 null mutation were isolated and were shown to have a 9.0 kb identical insert by restriction endonuclease analysis. The restriction map constructed indicates that this suppressor gene, ROK1 is not KEM1. Subcloning experiments suggest that the functional region of ROK1 is at least 3.0kb in size.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.16 no.6_1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2016

Operation Chromite was the first combined landing operation executed by ROK marine corp's and allied forces on Sept 15, 1950. Its historical significance is that it provided Korea with an opportunity to retake capital city Seoul because it helped to fight back from Nakdong river defense Front. During the landing, ROK marine corp's was highly praised from US commanders that "No any defect was found from ROK marine corp's perfect battle performance." and ROK marine corp's spirit of sacrifice with serving our country presented a grant spectacle to all over the world. In these days, the reason why ROK marine corp's gains trust and has grow successfully as national army force is that it prepares national emergency though strong training during peacetime. However, bad tradition like beating and harsh treatment must be fixed. ROK marine corp's should improve and take over the hard earned tradition from former marines and do our best to be trusted from people.