Russia in Global Affairs

One of the unconditional advantages of the Juche model is that it gives North Korea a high degree of political independence. North Korea is one of the few states in the world with genuine, not nominal, sovereignty. The main disadvantage of North Korean autarky is slow economic development, which has resulted in a massive material gap between the South and the North.

The possibility of Seoul gradually distancing itself from its US patron has become quite plausible. If South Korea becomes a fully sovereign actor, this will create a new geopolitical landscape in which Russia could become one of its key partners.