Sources and Replicability of Increased Pro-American Sentiment in South Korea since 2008

This thesis identifies two main contributing factors to the recent reemergence of durable pro-American sentiment in South Korea after a notable spike of anti-American sentiment from roughly 1999-2007. First, South Korea's perception of threats from the North Korean nuclear program and from China have increased over the past two decades (the general North Korean conventional threat has declined, though, and occasional small-scale North Korean conventional attacks appear not to drive pro-American sentiment). Second, pro-American sentiment appears to increase when U.S. policy - especially with regard to North Korea is in closer alignment with South Korea's. The 1999-2007 period appears to have been an exceptional period of policy mismatch. Conservative South Korean presidents and more-popular U.S. presidents also seem to increase pro-U.S. sentiment. However, the fact that pro-American sentiment remained strong from 2017-2022, when neither of these two conditions held but the two countries' North Korea policies remained aligned, suggests that bilateral policy agreement is more important. This thesis discusses how each of these factors helps determine levels of pro-American sentiment within South Korea, and it provides recommendations on how to approach South Korean political affairs without inciting consequential anti-American sentiment.