Case 298 - Defusing Anti-American in South Korea: The Practice of U.S. Public Diplomacy

by ISD - Georgetown University
$ 4.50

Oh, Wei Nam

This case study explores the effectiveness of U.S. public diplomacy in South Korea in defusing growing anti-Americanism, which intensified following the 1980 Kwangju incident, in which a student protest was brutally suppressed with the alleged acquiescence of U.S. forces. Three questions are central to the case: What explains the rise of anti-Americanism in South Korea? How has this anti-Americanism affected bilateral relations? And what kind of U.S. public diplomacy might be effective in defusing anti-Americanism in South Korea?