On Some Aspects of the Establishment and Development of Russian-South Korean Military-Political Ties

The article examines the perception of the Russian Federation (Russia, RF) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) of each other in the process of establishment and development of military-political interaction after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990. The establishment of a bilateral military dialogue took place in conditions of a fundamental change in the priorities of the USSR's foreign policy since the second half of the 1980s, then the collapse of the country and Russia's assumption of relevant obligations as the legal successor of the Soviet Union. In Moscow, the intention to de-ideologize and abandon the principles of the Cold War period in favor of establishing strong ties with the countries of the "Western camp" prevailed, which put the Republic of Korea among a number of promising partners in Asia. Seoul perceived the Russian Federation from the point of view of beneficial influence on the DPRK, as well as increasing its own importance in the Asian region. The further development of military-political relations showed the presence of a mutual intention towards making the dialogue in this field systematic. However, significant results, for example, in the form of speaking from coordinated positions on key security issues for both countries in the North East Asia or fixing clear long-term goals in bilateral agreements on military cooperation, were not visible. Given the above circumstances, the author made an attempt to analyze the importance that the countries attached to the military-political component of bilateral relations, whether there were grounds to expect the formation of a proper level of trust between them in this area and whether there is a possibility of developing in the future full-fledged military ties, which are currently in an almost frozen state under the influence of external factors.