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The potential role of Russia as an intermediary in inter-Korean relations has been under-studied inasmuch as regional attempts to bring about the denuclearisation of North Korea are concerned. Although Russia had previously taken a less active role during the Six Party Talks, it is apparent President Putin has sought a Russian Pivot to Northeast Asia, with a particular interest in consolidating Russian interests on the Korean Peninsula. Russian involvement as an intermediary acceptable to both Seoul and Pyongyang may mark a possible opportunity to break the current impasse over the denuclearisation of North Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assassination attempt on South Korean (ROK) President Chun Doo Hwan during a state visit to Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon, Myanmar) in 1983 illustrates the willingness of the North Korean state to engage in state terror not only against its own citizens, but also against the ROK. The authors examine the North Korean state's adoption of covert operations tactics and terrorist activity in an attempt to undermine the ROK, even when its actions have costs in terms of the North's relationship with individual Southeast Asian states. In addition, using newly-released archival material from the British National Archives, the authors examine the 1983 Rangoon Bombing as a case study in North Korean covert operations abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]