The U.S.–Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty
1953-10-01
Korean foreign minister Pyun Yung-tai and American secretary of state John Foster Dulles signed the Mutual Defense Treaty in Washington on 1 October 1953, after the Korean War armistice. It entered into force when they exchanged ratifications on 17 November 1954. [2] [1]
The treaty’s six articles required consultation when either country faced an external armed threat, and each promised to meet a common danger through its own constitutional procedures. South Korea also granted the United States the right to station land, air, and naval forces in and around its territory, under arrangements to be settled by mutual agreement. [1]
The American Senate confined the obligation to assist South Korea to an external armed attack on territory recognized as lawfully under the republic’s control. The treaty did not authorize a war to reunify Korea. [1]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- Mutual Defense Treaty, 1 October 1953 — treaty text
Articles II–VI; United States understanding; ratification notes
- Mutual Defense Treaty — National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
Signatories, date, and entry into force
- Mission history, former chiefs and jurisdiction
- Memorandum of Conversation, January 7, 1955
Related Reading
Cite This Article
The U.S.–Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record bceed53dda1b1ea61947. https://chanceries.org/research/history/korea-treaty-556626956a/