On March 24-25, 2011, the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the traditional XV scientific conference of Korean studies of Russia and the CIS countries "Korea: a Decade of new opportunities", which annually discusses a set of problems related to the Korean Peninsula, and scientists from Russia and the CIS countries have the opportunity to exchange experience and opinions on issues of interest to them. The 28 reports presented are divided into three sections: "Politics", "Economics", and "History and Culture".

Opening the conference, M. L. Titarenko, Director of the Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that in the new, difficult historical conditions, the current scientific forum should not only cover, but also promptly respond to acute problems arising in the Korean direction. Among such problems, he attributed: the curtailment of the national dialogue in relations between the ROK and the DPRK caused by the tough policy of the South Korean administration under the leadership of President Lee Myung-bak, the nuclear problem of the Korean peninsula, etc.

Oleg Davydov (Russian Foreign Ministry) stressed that an objective analysis of the processes taking place in North and South Korea is the main condition for developing balanced decisions by Russian diplomats. He believes that since Lee Myung-bak's policy towards the DPRK has become a threat to inter-Korean relations, stopping the process of inter-Korean dialogue that has begun, this situation may become a chance for Russia. This is confirmed both by the progress in the Russian-South Korean talks and by the continuation of Russian contacts with the DPRK.

The Politics section (8 reports) focused on the settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, US geopolitical interests in Korea, inter-Korean relations in the second half of the 2000s, Russia's image and role in Korea, and others. Presentations were made by: A. Z. Zhebin (IDV Central Research Institute) "US geopolitical Interests in the NEA and Some Aspects of the Korean settlement"; A.V. Vorontsov (Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "The nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula - against the background of aggravation of inter-Korean relations"; K. V. Asmolov (Central Research Institute of International Relations) "The Korean Peninsula: real and Imaginary threats"; CO. Kurbatov (St. Petersburg State University) "Historical Inertia in Inter-Korean relations in the second half of the 2000s"; Kim Eun-un (IDV Central Research Institute) "Evolution of Russia's Image and Role in Korea"; D. A. Samsonov (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography named after him. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera)) "Looking at each Other: Results of social Surveys at exhibitions dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea"; V. N. Dmitrieva (MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) "New in the study of international Relations and Korea"; V. A. Ten (Moscow State University) "Peculiarities of Korean immigration to Canada (late XX-early XXI century)".

A. Z. Zhebin's report was devoted to American policy in Korea. In his opinion, the United States over the past 60 years has given priority to bilateral alliances more than multilateral international security structures. Korea is no exception. In the early 90-ies of XX century. in connection with the nuclear problem of the DPRK, the Americans managed to take a dominant position in Korea. In fact, the United States is not at all interested in peace on the Korean Peninsula, on the contrary, according to A. Z. Zhebin, it is beneficial for them to maintain tension there. The current US administration, represented by President Barack Obama, aims to change power in North Korea and create a military and economic foothold there in contrast to the growing power of China. That is why, the speaker believes, the United States will continue to strive in every possible way to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region in the future.

Alexander Vorontsov believes that Russia's balanced position is a reliable guarantee of maintaining peace and political stability in Korea. Despite the sad incidents with

It is gratifying that it was Russian diplomats who called on the authorities of both parts of Korea to show maximum restraint and restraint, and not to allow steps that could provoke further aggravation of the situation.

K. V. Asmolov's report was devoted to strategic threats that may soon arise on the Korean Peninsula. He divides them into imaginary and real ones. Among the imaginary threats, it includes:

1) The threat of" terrorism " from North Korea. However, the author proves quite reasonably that, firstly, the DPRK is deliberately trying to attribute it to"terrorist" countries due to a broader interpretation of this term, and the Western media even includes hacker attacks from Pyongyang. Secondly, real terrorists simply cannot enter the DPRK due to the" closeness " of North Korean society. Third, it is unprofitable for North Korea itself, since such actions can provoke a retaliatory military strike on its territory.

2) The threat of nuclear missiles located in the DPRK, which allegedly threatens the entire world. Here again, K. V. Asmolov believes that at best, North Korea has only nuclear devices, but no means of delivering them. It is also unlikely that they can be smuggled out to third countries, as Pyongyang is receiving close attention from the international community.

3) The threat of a coup in North Korea. Unlike in Egypt or Libya, the DPRK does not even show signs of a revolutionary situation, because the ruling party elite and top military leaders of the country are united around their leader.

4) The threat of solving the problem of Korean unification by military means. Despite the fact that the current administration of South Korea in the person of President Lee Myung-bak demonstrates in every possible way a desire to shift power in the DPRK, there is no ground for such actions, because neither the ROK, nor the United States, nor China is simply unprofitable.

The author considers the most real threats to be natural disasters (crop failures, etc.), periodic military conflicts on the 38th parallel line, and random military conflicts due to unreliable data from one side or another.

A very interesting, though controversial, interpretation of the term "historical inertia" was given by the CO in its report. Kurbanov Street. In his opinion, despite the fact that in 2008 Lee Myung-bak took the path of a strictly "pragmatic" policy towards North Korea, relations between the two states have not been interrupted. Some aspects of inter-Korean relations were frozen (trips of South Korean tourists to the Geumgansan Mountains), but in other areas inter-Korean cooperation continued and even there were some short periods of rapprochement (the visit of the president of Hyundai Corporation to Pyongyang in August 2009, etc.).

Kim Yong Un focused on the evolution of Russia's image and role in Korea. The image of Russia in Korea went through several stages: the initial stage (the second half of the XIX century) of great hopes (the 90s of the XIX century-the beginning of the XX century), inspiration (1917-1945), imitation (1945 in the ROK; 1945-1957 in the DPRK), deep distrust (1946-1988 in the ROK; 1989-1998 in the ROK). North Korea), hopeful (1988-1991 in the Republic of Korea; 2000-2006 in the DPRK), arrogant and condescending (1993-2001 in the Republic of Kazakhstan), consumer-pragmatic, including attempts to establish strategic partnership relations (2001-2011 in the Republic of Kazakhstan). The general conclusion of the author of the report is that the decrease in Russia's participation in Korean affairs led to an increase in negative aspects in its image in each of the Korean states.

D. A. Samsonov's speech was a logical continuation of studying the image of Russia and Korea from the perspective of intercultural dialogue between the two countries. In his opinion, you can learn more about the culture of another nation through exhibition projects. One of these significant projects was an exhibition from the collections of the State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Wind in the Pines", which opened in the summer of 2010 in St. Petersburg, and a return exhibition in the fall of 2010 in Seoul" Russia and Korea: a new meeting of old neighbors", dedicated to Russian-Korean relations. A subsequent survey of Seoul residents showed that most Koreans know Russian culture well. This shows that there is a future for relations between the two countries through the dialogue of cultures.

The section" History and Culture " was traditionally the most numerous (12 reports). It was presented by the following participants: L. B. Hwang (Karakalpak State University) "Russian and Korean Literature: Points of contact", Lee Sang-yoon (RSPU, St. Petersburg) "Women's themes in modern literature of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Japan and China", A. I. Sharefetdinova (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "Modern Russian and Korean Literature: Points of contact".

processes of cultural development of the DPRK", A.M. Gushchina, E. B. Tsoi (NSTU, Novosibirsk) "Russian-Korean regional Partnership in education as a tool for cultural mutual enrichment of the nation", A.M. Pastukhov (Moscow) "Korea and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895", I. A. Musinova (USU, Yekaterinburg) " The Korean question in Russian diplomacy of the late XIX-early XX centuries (analysis of the American historical tradition)", B. S. Akulenko (FEFU, Vladivostok) "The Goguryeo Era of the Nationalist Historical School of the Republic of Kazakhstan", K. V. Ermakov (ISAA MSU) "Chong Dasan's contribution to the construction of the Hwaseong Fortress", O. B. Lynsha (UGPI, Ussuriysk) "Mission schools of the Russian Orthodox Church for Koreans of the South Ussuri region at the end of the XIX century", A.V. Pak (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "Penetration of Protestantism in Korea: the initial stage", L. V. Ovchinnikova (ISAA MSU) "Colonial Korea in the materials of the Japanese Secret Police", N. N. Kim (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "Socio-economic stratification of Korean society at the end of the colonial period".

A. M. Pastukhov's speech devoted to one of the most difficult historical periods in the modern history of Korea, the events of the Sino - Japanese War of 1894-1895, aroused great interest. In his opinion, the war was a consequence of Japan's aggressive policy-an attempt to oust Qing China from Korea and establish its dominance there. At the same time, the Japanese actively relied on the pro-Japanese part of the Korean elite, trying to give the appearance of legality to their actions and justify their aggression towards Korea. However, even relying on the pro-Japanese government of Kim Hong-jip, the Japanese were not able to turn the bulk of Koreans against China. The reason for this was the traditional cultural and political ties that have linked China and Korea for many centuries. A.M. Pastukhov concludes: since at present, due to the aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, China and Japan again play a significant role in its political settlement, the experience of the distant past may not be useless.

One of the presentations of the section was devoted to the problems of modern cultural development in the DPRK. The author of the report, A. I. Sharafetdinova, noted that culture in North Korea is designed to fulfill the tasks of ideological and political propaganda. Therefore, all works invariably include ideological guidelines ("Let's light up the year with outstanding works of Songun art!", "Let's celebrate the period of full flowering of socialist culture in the Songun era", etc.), according to which artists should serve the construction of "Juche" - style socialism with their works. The success achieved in the cultural sphere is invariably seen as the result of the" wise leadership " of the military leader Kim Jong Il. This suggests that art is an important tool of control in all spheres of public life.

O. B. Lynsha focused on the activities of Orthodox schools for Koreans in the South Ussuri region at the end of the 19th century. Missionary schools were assigned an important role in the process of integrating Korean immigrants into the structure of the Russian state. Therefore, such schools began to open in the centers of Korean settlement in the late 80s-early 90s of the XIX century. In mission schools, students primarily studied the Russian language and the Law of God, which contributed to the adaptation of Koreans to the new cultural and socio-political environment. During the discussion, Kim Yong Un noted that the success of Orthodoxy among the then Korean immigrants was primarily due to their desire to adapt to life in a new country as quickly as possible.

A.V. Park, referring to the initial penetration of Protestantism in Korea, believes that today South Korea is practically the only country in Asia where Protestantism occupies a dominant position. He sees the main reasons for this in the flexible use of the Nevius method by Western missionaries, the main postulate of which is to rely on the efforts of believers themselves and the desire of Koreans themselves to learn advanced knowledge of Western science and culture as quickly as possible. This trend was reflected in the construction of new European-style hospitals and schools by missionaries in Korea. Protestant missionaries were the first who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, brought to the soil of the then unified Korean state the ideas of the Western way of life: European medicine, education, women's equality, elements of Western culture, etc. Therefore, without denying the ideological influence of Western powers, the adoption of Protestantism was historically a step forward. It is no coincidence that many Korean Christian leaders later became active participants in the struggle for independence against Japanese colonial occupation.

N. N. Kim devoted her speech to the processes of colonial modernization. The social and economic policies of the colonial authorities had twofold consequences for the Korean Republic.

national economy. On the one hand, by the end of the colonial period, it was possible to clearly observe the positive results of modernization processes in the field of industrial production, development of transport infrastructure, modern communication systems, education, etc., on the other hand, the process of natural transformation of the obsolete feudal estate structure into modern bourgeois relations was hindered by the harsh policy of the Japanese colonial government. Therefore, the reverse side of modernization in the social sphere was the polarization of social strata along national lines, uneven distribution of income between different social groups, mass impoverishment of workers, etc.

At the Economics section, eight reports were read: S. S. Suslin (MGIMO University) "The role of innovations in the modern economic development of South Korea", V. G. Samsonov (IDV Central Research Institute) "The current state of scientific and technical developments in Russia and prospects for Russian-South Korean cooperation in this area", A. A. Yushin (MGIMO University) "The role of innovations in the modern economic development of South Korea".F. Sinyakova (MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry) "Republic of Korea: Green technologies as a new source of economic growth", P. P. Em (IG RAS) "The impact of urbanization and settlement processes on the economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan", B. S. Lee (TSPU, Tashkent) " Culture in business and economy (experience of communication with Koreans), D. N. Verkhoturov (Moscow) "Transformation of economic relations between Indonesia and the Republic of Kazakhstan", R. L. Kazaryan (IB RAS) "On the relevance of the "Sunny Heat "policy", L. V. Zakharova (RSUH) "Kaesong industrial complex: some practical aspects of functioning".

V. G. Samsonova considered the issue of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia. Over the past 20 years, Russia and South Korea have made significant changes in the development of relations in various spheres, but the current state of cooperation no longer meets the challenges of the new information world. The most important asset of the emerging high-tech information and network economy is not material resources, but knowledge, intelligence, and innovation. The economic strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan is based on the development of knowledge-intensive industries. The country is actively developing in such areas as robotics, bioengineering, nanotechnology, etc.

R. L. Kazaryan's report was devoted to the" solar heat policy", the foundations of which were laid back in 1998 by the then President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kim Tae-joon. The essence of this policy was to recognize the existence of two Korean states, reject the idea of forced unification or any other activity aimed at overthrowing the government, and establish comprehensive peaceful cooperation and coexistence in order to prepare the foundations for future peaceful unification. Among the practical results of this policy, we should mention the construction of the Geumgangsan tourist complex, the Kaesong industrial Zone, and the project to connect the railways of the North and South. However, the most important and still unsurpassed achievement of the "solar heat" policy was the overall stabilization of the Korean peninsula. However, the new deal announced by ROK President Lee Myung-bak in 2008 actually meant abandoning many of the principles of the "solar heat" policy. During the discussion that unfolded on the report, the question arose: is it possible to return the policy of "solar heat" now? Kazaryan believes that the initiative, which is similar to the model of the "solar heat" policy and presupposes restrained political and economic cooperation and coexistence within the current systems and ideologies, is the only practical strategy for resolving the Korean issue at the moment.

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