The Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University (Director Kwan-Sei Lee) hosted Session 5, titled “The North Korea-China-Russia Triangle and Approaches to Establishing Peace on the Korean Peninsula” at the Global Korea Forum 2026 held on June 23 (Tue) in the International Conference Hall (2nd Floor) of the Korea Federation of Banks Building.

The session was organized to explore South Korea’s diplomatic strategy and pathways toward peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula amid the recent strengthening of cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia and the evolving security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Moderated by Kwan-Sei Lee, Director of IFES, the session featured presentations by Jae-Hung Chung, Senior Fellow at the Sejong Institute, and Sang Bum Kim, Professor at IFES. The discussion panel included Andrey Kovsh, Visiting Professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Pei Yan, Researcher at the Taejae Future Consensus Institute, and So-hye Park, Research Professor at the Simyeon Institute for North Korean Studies, University of North Korean Studies.

The presentation by Senior Fellow Jae-Hung Chung, titled “The Dynamics of North Korea–China–Russia Alignment and South Korea’s Diplomatic Strategies toward China and Russia”, analyzed how the Russia–Ukraine war, intensifying U.S.–China strategic competition, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and strengthened ROK–U.S.–Japan security cooperation are collectively contributing to a simultaneous deepening of North Korea–China–Russia cooperation across military, economic, and diplomatic domains.

He particularly emphasized that, in a context where North Korea seeks to secure security, military, and energy support from Russia and political, economic, and diplomatic backing from China, South Korea should avoid treating North Korea–China–Russia as a fixed, monolithic bloc. Instead, he argued for a differentiated approach that separates the interests of each country, combining strong deterrence, selective engagement, and pragmatic, interest-based diplomacy.

Professor Sang Bum Kim presented on “Reconstructing Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula in the Era of North Korea’s Hostile Two-State Theory”. He assessed that North Korea’s adoption of the hostile two-state theory and its constitutional revision have structurally transformed the foundational assumptions underpinning inter-Korean relations and existing policies for peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula. He further argued that, under the current circumstances, the South Korean government’s top priority should shift from restoring inter-Korean relations or advancing unification discourse to crisis management and preventing armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula. He also proposed that policies for peaceful coexistence need to be reframed from a discourse centered on ethnicity and unification toward one grounded in national interest, pragmatism, and institutionalization.

In the discussion, Visiting Professor Andrey Kovsh emphasized that North Korea should not be viewed as a subordinate actor within a North Korea–China–Russia trilateral structure. Instead, he argued that it should be understood as an actor seeking to expand its strategic autonomy between China and Russia by leveraging its nuclear and missile capabilities as well as its geostrategic position. Researcher Pei Yan stressed that South Korea’s diplomacy should go beyond simply exploiting gaps within the North Korea–China–Russia relationship. Rather, she argued that South Korea should design diplomatic conditions in a way that leads China to perceive contributions to stability on the Korean Peninsula as aligned with its own national interests. Research Professor So-hye Park suggested that while the current reality following North Korea’s declaration of a ‘two states’ framework should be acknowledged, inter-Korean relations should prioritize peaceful coexistence over unification discourse, thereby laying the groundwork for future inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

Director Kwan-Sei Lee concluded the session by emphasizing that the Korean Peninsula today is facing a complex crisis shaped by the tightening North Korea–China–Russia alignment, intensifying U.S.–China strategic competition, and strengthened trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan. He stressed that, rather than being confined within a particular bloc, South Korea needs a flexible and multilayered diplomatic strategy grounded in its national interests.

Participants reached a consensus that, amid the evolving international order, the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula requires a dual-track approach combining alliance-based deterrence with multifaceted diplomatic efforts involving neighboring countries.