A Subtle Difference between Russia and Chinas Stances toward the Korean Peninsula and Its Strategic Implications for South Korea

In a New Cold War, Northeast Asia becomes a battlefield among great powers. China no longer seems to accept any further erosion of its strategic advantages, particularly the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. Thus South Korea is finding no recourse for ameliorating the North Korean nuclear problem within a great game between the US and China. But there is a difference between Russia and Chinas strategic position. Russia is relatively detached from the security dilemma unfolding in Northeast Asia. While Beijing perceives the THAAD as a fundamental threat, Moscows strategic sensitivity is lower. Moreover, Russia is able to keep North Korea at a greater distance than China, which faces difficulty in neglecting its buffer state. Additionally, Moscows growing economic influence in North Korea recently assists in maximizing its strategic goals. Indeed Russia could conceivably reap big rewards by supplanting China and adopting a new role as regional balancer. Thus South Korea is able to secure its strategic autonomy by using Russia as a bulwark against the current geopolitical dilemma.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2009-362-A00002)