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Reconsideration of the 1961 PRC-DPRK and USSRDPRK Friendship Treaties: The Institutionalization of Two-Sided Alliance

Meihua Liang 1

1서울대학교 아시아연구소

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ABSTRACT

During the Cold War, North Korea’s unstable alliance with the SinoSoviet Union was based on the Treaty of ‘Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance’, signed in July 1961. This study examines the drivers of the institutionalization of the PRC-DPRK and USSR-DPRK alliance treaties during this period using an analytical framework that considers the strategicgoals of weaker states and the coexistence of great power influence in alliance formation. The analysis shows that the PRC-DPRK and USSR-DPRK alliance treaties were facilitated by a coexistence of influence over North Korea by China and the Soviet Union, rather than being an alliance formed out of mutual threat perceptions. Additionally, North Korea, as a weaker state, sought a two-sided alliance because it needed to fulfill two key security needs: security support from the nuclear-powered Soviet Union and a perceived threat from the United States, which it shared with China. This study indicates that the PRC-DPRK and USSR-DPRK alliances should take into account the interplay between the context of the SinoSoviet Union conflict and North Korea’s strategic goals.

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