Abstract

In East Asia, four issues center on the discussion of security in the next century. The first one is associated with the significant long-term changes in the equations of military and economic power and the general framework of regional security in the region. Secondly, the underdeveloped institutionalism occurs not because of "culture", per se, but because of different ways of thinking. The problem has to do with the security of Asia as a region, not Asian security. Thirdly, despite Asianization and vastly divergent interests across East Asian countries, one common view that seems to be shared by all regional states is the United States' security commitment as the indispensable anchor for East Asian security. The last issue includes two interdependent topics, the Korea-U.S. relations and North Korea, The updating of the Korea-U.S. relations should start from the following two important approaches to the alliance countries: 1) the difference in security conception of the two countries, and 2) preparing each state's visions for unification of the two Koreas. On north Korea, it is necessary to acknowledge the North as a state alienated from the international order, which is dominated by the U.S.