Asymmetric Alliance between North Korea and China Reconsidered :Balance of Asymmetry and the Increase of a Smaller State’s Autonomy

Myungsik Ham

doi:10.18013/jnar.2016.31.1.001

Since the fourth nuclear test of North Korea, China has actively supported the sanction of the United Nations on North Korea. Considering China’s previous efforts to protect North Korea after the latter’s repeated military adventures on the Korean Peninsula, it raises the question why China changed its behavior from protection to sanction. This paper argues that North Korea’s asymmetric strategy played a critical role to bring about China’s different reactions towards North Korea. Unlike contemporary dominant alliance theories which emphasize the disadvantages of a smaller country in asymmetric bilateral alliance, this article contends that when international security environment changes and a political leader of a smaller country in the alliance system confronts domestic challenges, it is able to organize balance of asymmetry strategy against the strong counterpart of the alliance. Current conflicts and tensions between North Korea and China can be an appropriate example to apply balance of asymmetry strategy. Kim Jungeun faced insecurity in consolidating his position from the very beginning of his succession. The changing international security environment and domestic situations surrounding Kim Jungeun made it possible for him to perform balance of asymmetry strategy against a long-term blood-hood brother, China, in order to increase autonomy and assure his power.

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* 2021년 이후 발행 논문의 참고문헌은 현재 구축 중입니다.

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