ABSTRACT
After Vladimir Putin came to power, Russia resumed normal relations with North Korea and has been energetically involved in Korean affairs in an effort to safeguard its political, economic, and security interests. In the six-party negotiations, Russia has played a constructive role for Korean denuclearization and Northeast Asian security and prosperity. This chapter focuses on Russia's role in the on-going six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear problem. It explains the Russian interests and policies toward the Korean peninsula, its role at the six-party talks and its contribution to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Korea takes up a special place in Russian foreign policy due to its geo-strategic location, North Korea's nuclear crisis, and Russia's enormous potential for economic cooperation with the two Korea's, especially in the fields of energy and transportation. Russia has endeavored to bring about Korea's denuclearization in the six-party negotiation process and outside it. These efforts have been made both jointly, especially with China, and unilaterally.
