Five decades ago, the United States fought alongside South Korea to defend it against North Korea's invasion. Thousands of young American soldiers died in the Korean war. China, on the other hand, sent troops to help the North. Its intervention changed the course of the fighting, which had been in favour of the US-led United Nations forces. The war ended in a stalemate.
But today, South Koreans' perceptions of these two powerful nations are not so simple. The US, which was once viewed as its saviour, is increasingly seen as an arrogant imperial power unilaterally imposing its values and systems on others. In contrast, China is gradually regarded as a new friendly neighbour.
According to a recent newspaper poll, South Koreans now perceive China as their most-important partner both in diplomatic and economic matters. The US is viewed as the second most-important nation. What is more, 28 per cent of South Koreans 'like' China, while only 23 per cent like the US. The share of South Koreans who 'dislike' the US is 16 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for China.
Given that for five decades the Seoul-Washington alliance has served as a foundation for South Korea's security and economic prosperity, the poll results are rather shocking. Granted, the US is becoming less popular in many countries these days. It is also true that China's rising economic power and military strength are factors every nation now takes seriously. Even South Koreans are puzzled by their own fast-changing perceptions of the two. Older generation South Koreans who still vividly remember the Korean war have an especially hard time comprehending the new outlook - which is mostly being shaped by the post-war generation.
But the trend is not unexpected. When former president Kim Dae-jung took office in 1998, he began to vigorously seek reconciliation with North Korea with his policy of engagement. However, an out-of-step Washington's confrontational attitude towards Pyongyang turned off many young South Koreans. China, meanwhile, won their appreciation by mediating and trying to bridge the gap between Pyongyang and Washington over the North's controversial nuclear-weapons programme.
Now President Roh Moo-hyun has inherited Mr Kim's engagement policy. And his stress on a more independent foreign policy from Washington has accelerated the South Koreans' perception shift. In another recent poll, the pro-government Uri Party's newly elected lawmakers also overwhelmingly chose China over the US as Seoul's most important diplomatic and economic partner - 63 per cent to 26 per cent, respectively.
