The Russian and South Korean coast guards held joint anti-piracy and anti-terrorism drills in the Sea of Japan earlier this month. In an e-mail interview, Richard Weitz, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a World Politics Review senior editor, discusses the historical context and changing dynamics of Russia-South Korea relations.
WPR: How have bilateral relations between Russia and South Korea evolved since the end of the Cold War?
Richard Weitz: During most of the 1990s, the new Russian Federation under President Boris Yeltsin shunned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) while pursuing better ties with the Republic of Korea (ROK). Russia-ROK ties did improve during the 1990s, especially in the economic realm, but Moscow's limited leverage in Pyongyang and weak national economy eventually limited South Korean interest in deepening ties with Russia.