The Korean Vicious Circle

The article examines the state and prospects of inter-Korean relations, which are regarded as hostile at this stage in Pyongyang. Much attention is given to the analysis of the internal and international causes of the current aggravation of the military-political confrontation on the Korean peninsula. Contrary to the dominant point of view in the West about the exclusive responsibility of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the situation there, the author shows how the United States managed to block attempts at reconciliation between North and South by involving Seoul in various block combinations directed against Russia and China. This strategy gained additional synergy in 2022 with the beginning of the presidency of Yoon Suk Yeol, who came to power with the support of that part of the ruling elite of the Republic of Korea (ROK), which was entirely following the United States and advocated unification through the “absorption” of the DPRK. Realizing the futility of attempts to improve relations with the ROK before the end of the term of the ROK incumbent president, ending in 2027, the DPRK leader Kim Jong-un abandoned the very idea of unification, declared South Korea an “enemy state” and announced planned in this regard changes in the constitution and in the life of the country as a whole.