Abstract
Despite conventional assumptions, a different pattern of alliances and incompatible political ideologies, Iran has been among the few countries in the world that has maintained close and continuous relations simultaneously with both South and North Koreas, forging a surprising web of complex connections on the Korean Peninsula for some decades. This research argues that the peculiarity in Iran’s interactions with the two Koreas can be attributed to a pragmatist approach that has strived to balance the dominant systemic factor and the secondary yet influential domestic variable. This is done in order to achieve the intended foreign policy goals according to each party’s relative status and capabilities within the international system. To substantiate this argument, the study probes major developments in Tehran’s bilateral relations with Seoul and Pyongyang, focusing particularly on five distinctive periods from the early steps to establish official ties before the 1970s to the past decade when the multifaceted connections between the Iranians and Koreans reached an all time high. The research also briefly discusses the recent issue of Iran’s sanctions and their implications for bilateral relations between the Persian Gulf country and the Republic of Korea.
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