This study analyzes the influence of North Korea on South Korean views of America since February 1998. More specifically, this study examines profoundly changing South Korean image of the northern neighbor, including the generation gap in South Korean views of the North and the United States, its influence on their views of the U.S. military presence, the ROK-U.S. alliance, and Washington`s North Korea policy. From late February 1998, the Kim Dae-jung administration pursued the "sunshine policy" to actively engage Pyongyang. Kim`s persevered sunshine policy and succeeding Roh Moo-hyun administration`s "policy of peace and prosperity" with North Korea have profoundly transformed South Korean perceptions of North Korea and the United States--even more than its target, North Korea--in important and often unexpected ways. Like other important social issues, the South Korean image of North Korea shows a considerable generation gap. Young Koreans, having grown up in an era in which school textbooks no longer portrayed North Koreans as devils with horns and tails, have voiced strong sympathy for North Korea and have questioned the wisdom of their grandparents and sometimes their parents in continuing to support close ties with the United States. The U.S. forces Korea (USFK) has been very successful in fulfilling its original mission of deterring another North Korean aggression. The very success has made the U.S. military presence less useful to South Korea. In particular, Seoul`s continuing engagement policy toward Pyongyang has had the unintended consequence of making U.S. troops seem less important for South Korea`s security. As fears of a military threat from the North have rapidly receded, more and more South Koreans have increasingly been critical of the U.S. military presence. Recently, the Seoul-Washington alliance has soured to a considerable and worrisome extent. The tension between South Korea and the United States would lead both sides to reconsider the merits of their military alliance. The North Korean nuclear issue might prove to be a touchstone in changing the alliance that is faced with the greatest challenge in its 50-plus-year history.