Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
individual
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Brianna Johnson, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Brianna Johnson
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Amy Grubb
Abstract
This project examines the space security cooperation between two states that are frequently grouped together in discussions of U.S. allies in the Asian region, largely due to the trilateral alliance between the US, South Korea, and Japan. Within this framework, particular attention is given to what some scholars identify as the “weak link” of the alliance: the relationship between South Korea and Japan. Focusing on the space domain as an emerging area of strategic importance, this paper asks when and how states with historically tense relationships engage with one another in space. Drawing on primary news sources and government documents alongside existing scholarship, the analysis finds that meaningful engagement between South Korea and Japan remains limited at the bilateral level. Instead, interaction is more consistently observed through US-led trilateral frameworks and indirect channels such as industrial partnerships and academic exchanges. These patterns suggest that historical tensions and domestic political constraints continue to shape the structure of engagement, even as the importance of space security grows and both states expand their capabilities.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons
Cooperation in the Space Domain: The Potential for Cooperation Between South Korea and Japan
This project examines the space security cooperation between two states that are frequently grouped together in discussions of U.S. allies in the Asian region, largely due to the trilateral alliance between the US, South Korea, and Japan. Within this framework, particular attention is given to what some scholars identify as the “weak link” of the alliance: the relationship between South Korea and Japan. Focusing on the space domain as an emerging area of strategic importance, this paper asks when and how states with historically tense relationships engage with one another in space. Drawing on primary news sources and government documents alongside existing scholarship, the analysis finds that meaningful engagement between South Korea and Japan remains limited at the bilateral level. Instead, interaction is more consistently observed through US-led trilateral frameworks and indirect channels such as industrial partnerships and academic exchanges. These patterns suggest that historical tensions and domestic political constraints continue to shape the structure of engagement, even as the importance of space security grows and both states expand their capabilities.