On November 24, 2025, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS, Republic of Korea) held a conference on “Russia — South Korea: Dialogue in an Era of Uncertainty.” The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to continue their contacts in the future. Welcoming remarks were delivered by RIAC Director General Ivan Timofeev and INSS President Kim Seong-bae. The conference consisted of three sessions.
On November 24, 2025, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS, Republic of Korea) held a conference on “Russia — South Korea: Dialogue in an Era of Uncertainty.” The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to continue their contacts in the future. Welcoming remarks were delivered by RIAC Director General Ivan Timofeev and INSS President Kim Seong-bae. The conference consisted of three sessions.
During the first session, “Security Issues in the Asia-Pacific,” experts presented their views on current challenges to stability in the region and the role of external actors in regional processes. Particular attention was paid to the strategic triangles “Russia — China — North Korea” and “Republic of Korea — Japan — United States,” whose interactions largely shape the situation in the Asia-Pacific. Speakers from both sides agreed that the transformation of the global order as a whole, and the deepening U.S.-China rivalry as one of its clearest expressions, have a defining impact on Asia’s security agenda. The Russian perspective was presented by Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University and RIAC member, and by Igor Istomin, Head of the Department of Applied Analysis of International Problems at MGIMO University. The South Korean position was outlined by Lee Hee-ok, Honorary Director of the Academy of East Asian Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, and by Kim Jeong-sup, Senior Research Fellow at the Sejong Institute and former Executive Director at the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea. The discussion was moderated by Dmitry Kiku, RIAC Deputy Director General.
The second session, “Developments on the Korean Peninsula: Approaches of Moscow and Seoul,” focused on potential scenarios for ensuring long-term stability between the Republic of Korea and North Korea. Participants included Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and RIAC Vice President Gleb Ivashentsov; Shin Beom-shik, Professor at Seoul National University; Alexander Vorontsov, Head of the Korea and Mongolia Department at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Kim Sang-ki, Advisor to the Minister of Unification of the Republic of Korea; and Oleg Kiryanov, Head of the Asia Risk Research Center. The discussion was moderated by Park Ro-byeok, who served as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Russia from 2015 to 2017.
The third session, “Relations Between Russia and South Korea: In Search of Points of Convergence,” examined bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Seoul under current unfavorable conditions. Experts looked closely at the opportunities and obstacles for resuming political dialogue, considered the prospects for expanding economic cooperation, and emphasized the importance of maintaining cultural and humanitarian exchanges as well as expert-level dialogue even in the absence of deeper contact. Presentations were delivered by Alexander Fedorovsky, Head of the General Issues of the Asia-Pacific Group at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS); Park Ro-byeok, former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Russia; Andrey Afanasyev, Managing Partner and CEO of Strategic Choice Advisory; Sohn Won-young, Professor at Incheon National University; and Lada Semina, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Korean Studies of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The discussion was moderated by Jang Se-ho, Director of the Department of Regional Strategy Studies at INSS.
Following each session, lively discussions took place with the participation of additional experts, including Georgy Toloraya, Head of the Center for Russian Strategy in Asia at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Konstantin Asmolov, Leading Research Fellow at the Center for Korean Studies of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Anna Kireeva, Associate Professor in the Department of Oriental Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University; and Pavel Leshakov, Head of the School of Asian Studies at HSE University.
