Analysis of China’s Influence on North Korea: Perspectives, Misconceptions, and Analysis Based on the Concept of Influence

• Published in: The Korean journal of defense analysis pp. 499 - 523
• Main Authors: Li Li, Debin Zhan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국국방연구원 01.12.2024
• Subjects: 정치외교학
• ISSN: 1016-3271; 1941-4641
• DOI: 10.22883/kjda.2024.36.4.004

The question of whether China has influence on North Korea and to what extent, is subject to varying perspectives domestically and internationally. Broadly, these viewpoints can be categorized into three main types: the first asserts that China has a profound influence on North Korea and can even control it to a certain extent; the second suggests that China’s influence on North Korea is quite limited; and the third contends that China has no meaningful influence on North Korea. In both political and academic circles, there are four misconceptions regarding the assessment of China’s influence on North Korea: confusing influence potential with actual influence, conflating historical influence with current influence, mixing coercive power with influence, and blending partial influence with overall influence. These misconceptions and the underlying reasons for disagreements are, subjectively, rooted in differing policy needs toward North Korea among relevant countries and, objectively, in the lack of a consistent definition of influence. This paper adopts a relational perspective to define influence, measuring it based on the capabilities, intentions, and means of both the influencing and influenced parties in specific issue areas. The conclusion is that despite China having significant potential influence over North Korea and being willing to employ persuasive and inducement tactics to address issues like denuclearization, North Korea staunchly upholds its autonomy and national security in foreign policies. It employs various means to resist China’s persuasion and inducement while also seeking alternative options. Consequently, China’s influence on North Korea is highly limited. KCI Citation Count: 0