The recent invigoration of Russian-North Korean ties raises interest in the history of Russia’s involvement in Korean affairs. Does the recent upsurge have a solid basis that can be counted on to ensure a long-term Russian involvement in the new era? Why would North Koreans, treating foreigners as suspect, “open up” to Russians? A book, recently published in Russia, entitled The Uneasy Neighborhood: Problems on the Korean Peninsula and Challenges for Russia contains a lot of information to answer these questions and also to understand the basics of Russia’s policy regarding Korea.

The book, authored by a team of Russian