Trading countries like to protect their trade routes (China's growing navy, July 16, 2007; India wants to protect its sea lanes too, July 17, 2007).
South Korea is no exception. Mingi Hyun over at the 'Manoeuvre' in Maritime Asia weblog has posted on the Korean response in a U.S. invitation to help protect joint U.S. and Korean interests in the Indian Ocean: USN-ROKN to Pursue Joint Operations in Indian Ocean (January 27, 2008):
As for the level of popular support behind the ROKN's future expeditionary operations in tandem with the USN, I would imagine the South Korean public to be either supportive or neutral. Acts of piracy against South Korean vessels and civilians have been growing in recent years with such attacks occurring anywhere between the coast of Nigeria and Somalia to the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. In hostage-taking crises over the past two years, sections of the South Korean public have been vocal in calling for the establishment of South Korean military capability to protect and rescue South Korean vessels and civilians. Of course, the only branch of the military capable of carrying out such operations would be the navy, and the ROKN's future expeditionary accomplishments will no doubt stir up patriotism. Equally important, such operations will also instill a new breed of purpose behind the US-ROK alliance amongst the South Korean public. The alliance may have been forged in blood and gratitude. However, national interest will become the undisputed dominant undercurrent driving the alliance over the next few decades, which should serve as a trust-worthy guarantor for the health of the alliance considering the political circles in both Washington and Seoul are dominated by those of the post-Korean War generation.
This is a very good blog. The author focuses on North-east Asian naval affairs, and has a particular interest in the South Korean Navy. He doesn't post often (37 times since December 2006), but the posts are very good: readable, based on facts and thoughtful analysis, jargon well in hand. The Energy Security, Maritime Security, and Piracy and Terrorism categories have a number of trade related posts.
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