U.S. – South Korean Relations

Secretary Gordon Paddock, Minister Edwin Morgan and Vice Consul General Willard Straight, seated in the second row, pose for a photo with Legation staff in front of the Minister’s Residence (1904-1905). (Photo: Willard Dickerman Straight Collection, Cornell University Library)

Secretary Gordon Paddock, Minister Edwin Morgan and Vice Consul General Willard Straight, seated in the second row, pose for a photo with Legation staff in front of the Minister’s Residence (1904-1905). (Photo: Willard Dickerman Straight Collection, Cornell University Library)
U.S. – South Korean Relations
U.S. Relations With the Republic of Korea Chiefs of Mission for South Korea Timeline of U.S.-South Korean RelationsU.S. Relations With the Republic of Korea
The United States and Korea’s Joseon Dynasty established diplomatic relations under the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, and the first U.S. diplomatic envoy arrived in Korea in 1883.

Timeline of U.S.-South Korean Relations
The United States sent its first envoy to South Korea in 1883. The United States led the U.N. coalition that fought a war to defend Korea after North Korea invaded it in 1950. Korea and the United States first signed a mutual defense treaty in 1953 and have worked closely together ever since to provide security in the region and combat global threats.
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Outside of South Korea: +82-(02)-397-4114
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