Klaster Industri Budaya sebagai Dasar Manuver Politik Korea Selatan

In July 2016, South Korea agreed with its military alliance, the United States to install Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on its territory. This agreement is the embodiment of the interests of the two countries that were integrated. The United States's interests in spreading influence in the East Asian region and South Korea's interests in protecting the country from North Korea's nuclear test practices on the Korean Peninsula. But the THAAD installation was rejected by China, which considers the instrument as the trigger of tensions in the region and hampering China’s dominance. In expressing its disapproval, China imposed economic sanctions by boycott on South Korean-owned cultural industrial products, namely hallyu. In October 2017, South Korea approved China's request to change its THAAD policy through points listed in the Three NOs. The significant changes in South Korean foreign policy are questionable in this study. This study uses the theory of neorealism as a logical thinking and suggests that hallyu as the main reason for the political maneuvering chosen by South Korea as a boycott of China as the main market share of the hallyu has crippled the South Korean economy. South Korea chose a bandwagoning strategy in the midst of threats in order to be able to maintain the production and distribution of cultural products which are currently the main source of foreign exchange for the country. This research uses qualitative research methods with data collection by literature study.   Keywords: South Korea, China, United States, THAAD, Boycott, Cultural Industry, Hallyu.