Korean Peninsula in the Policy of World Powers in the 21st Century

Abstract

The article presents the situation on the Korean Peninsula from the
perspective of the involved superpowers (China, Japan, Russia and the USA)
as well as the two Korean states. Signalling historical conditions for the
superpowers’ policy towards the Peninsula and demonstrating the diverse
interests of particular states, the author tries to present and explain their
motivation and makes an attempt to predict future developments. Attention
is also drawn to unprecedented interdependence of the involved parties,
which makes it difficult to imagine that the most important problems in the
region can be solved otherwise than by finding a coordinated standpoint and
reaching an agreement. The article emphasises the influence of the Korean
states’ policy on the superpowers’ behaviour and the importance of internal
factors in both Korean states for the pursuit of efficient solutions stabilising
the situation on the Korean Peninsula.