ABSTRACT
People always say that the Korean peninsula is like “a shrimp among whales.” This description illustrates the popular image of the Korean peninsula’s geopolitical environment. The Korean peninsula’s geopolitical environment is determined by its natural geographical position. Since ancient times, the Korean peninsula has been the natural bridge connecting the Asian continent with maritime powers while acting as a buffer zone between them. Its geopolitical significance made the Korean peninsula the geographical center of Northeast Asia and bore a unique significance in international politics. Because of the prominent strategic status and special geopolitical condition of the Korean peninsula, its historical development has always been under the shadow of great powers and maybe there is no other country that has been affected so deeply by foreign actors as the Korean peninsula.
