A. Z. ZHEBIN Candidate of Political Sciences Korean Peninsula nuclear issue Keywords: non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Korean settlement, China's position, Russia's role and place, UN command in Korea Since the beginning of the 90s of the last century, the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula (JCP) began to occupy a central place in the complex of problems related to the Korean settlement. These problems themselves are both internal (inter-Korean) and international in nature: the peace treaty, the problem of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the security of neighboring states. The negotiation process on the JCP, which began in 2003, in the format of the" six " (Russia, China, the United States, Japan, the DPRK and the ROK), is designed to find a political solution to the nuclear problem of the Korean peninsula. However, there is much evidence that the United States uses this process not so much to discuss the problem of WMD nonproliferation, but rather to realize its own strategic interests in the region. Many believe that the main reason for the lack of progress on the YAPCP and in resolving the situation on the Korean peninsula as a whole is Pyongyang's "intractability". North Korean leaders, in turn, accuse the United States of not really being interested in truly defusing tensions and achieving reconciliation in Korea. Indeed, it seems that it is advantageous for Washington to maintain a certain level of tension on the peninsula, since this justifies the preservation of American forward-based forces near the borders of Russia and China for more than half a century, as well as the deployment of missile defense in the region. At the same time, the ultimate goal of the United States is clearly visible - to change the regime in the DPRK and unite the peninsula under its patronage, gaining an important springboard at the junction of the borders of the Russian Federation and the PRC. "HARD POWER" AS A DECISIVE ARGUMENT In ... Read more