Relations of Russia and Korea After 1945

After being freed from the Japanese occupation, the Korean peninsula saw the formation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (under the patronage of the USSR) and the Republic of Korea (with the support of the USA). The Republic of Korea was only officially recognized by the Soviet government in 1990.  The relations between the USSR and ROK improved in 1988, when Moscow decided to participate in the Seoul Olympics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Korea recognized Russia as the successor of the USSR. As for the relations between the USSR (and later on the Russian Federation), some information suggests that Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung visited the Soviet Union 9 times, and according to some other data - 11 times. In the last few decades of the XX century, the relations between Russian Federation and the DPRK have become more active.  As a result, negotiations between Russia and South Korea and between Russia and North Korea started touching upon the prospects of tripartite Russia-ROK-DPRK cooperation in the economic and other areas. Koreans showed a special interest in the culture of Russia and the Russian language in the first years after the diplomatic relations were established. Modern Korean studies began to develop.