A Critical Analysis on Vladimir Surin’s “Korean Manifesto”

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper we explore the theory of Russian scholar Vladimir Surin, who proposed a Korean-Russian symbiosis in his 2005 essay “Korean Manifesto”. Given the problem of population decline in Russia, an enormous land mass with rich natural resources, and the problem of overpopulation in (North and South) Korea, a small land mass with minimal natural resources, Surin argues that Russia and Korea should cooperate to establish a ‘symbiotic state’,  allowing both to maximize their respective potential. The following study examines Surin’s arguments in detail. Although Surin’s thesis was proposed nearly twenty years ago, it is as relevant now as ever. Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine highlights the urgency of facilitating cooperative international partnerships, driven not by nationalistic ambitions but by a sense of mutuality, possibility, and cooperation