Much has been written by scholars and pundits casting doubt over the future of the South Korea-US alliance with the end of the Cold War and the ensuing efforts by South Korea to foster cooperation and reconciliation with North Korea through its engagement policy. In fact, many experts have warned that, in order to maintain the alliance into the future, a new mission would have to replace the one that existed under the Cold War. Despite the intense attention that this issue has received, there has been no systematic effort to understand how the South Korean public views the alliance. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it seeks to identify and analyze the factors affecting the publicâs view of the alliance, using a face-to-face nationwide survey of South Koreans conducted in March 2007 under Fulbright sponsorship. It employs multiple regression analysis to test four core hypotheses, each focusing on a factor that is considered to have an impact on South Koreansâ perception of the alliance. They are: H1: The perception of North Korea as a threat increases the support for the alliance. H2: A positive view of the role of the USFK promotes the support of the alliance. H3: The belief that the US and South Korea share common interests regarding North Korea is associated with the support of the alliance. H4: A wariness of China promotes the support of the alliance. Second, on the basis of this analysis, this paper will also attempt to assess the long-term prospects for the alliance by examining how the evolving security situation in the Korean peninsula impinges on the factors identified in this study. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]