From Yeltsin to Putin: Moscow’s Perception of the Peace Process on the Korean Peninsula

Wonhee Lee

doi:10.22151/politikon.21.4

Authors

Wonhee Lee Johns Hopkins University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.21.4

Keywords:

Russia, Korean peninsula, Putin, Yeltsin, Primakov Doctrine, peace processes

Abstract

Russia has developed multipolar paradigm in its effort to reobtain the position of the Great Power since it realized that it could not exert influence strong enough to stake its claim in the world politics. The advocacy of a multipolar world order, referred to as the “Primakov Doctrine,” shifted Moscow’s attitude toward the two Koreas as well. In its pursuit of multipolarity in East Asia, Russia has designed its strategy toward Korea’s nuclear crisis and unification to best suit its national interest. Considering the competition among the Great Powers in East Asia, Russia’s Korea policy can better be understood under such a multilateral framework.

Author Biography

Wonhee Lee, Johns Hopkins University

Wonhee Lee, 29, born and raised in Seoul, is a candidate for M.A. in International Relations with concentration in China Studies, Korea Studies and International Economics at The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced Studies (SAIS). He is currently working as a research assistant at the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS (USKI). His academic interests lie in diplomatic history of East Asia, Sino-Taiwanese relations and inter-Korean relations. Wonhee Lee co-authored “The Uneasiness of Big Brother-Little Brother Relationships-China’s Relations with Neighboring Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Myanmar,” a chapter in Chinas Domestic Politics and Foreign Policies and Major Countries Strategies toward China, edited by Jung-Ho Bae and Jae H. Ku, published by Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), with Jae H. Ku. He is also a recipient of Starr Excellence in China Studies Fellowship conferred by SAIS China Studies. He obtained B.A. in Chinese and B.B.A. in International Economics and Law at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in 2011.