Professional Affiliation

M.I.S., Seoul National University Graduate School of International Studies, Republic of Korea

Expert Bio

Min Ji (MJ) Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and lived in different parts of the world including the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and Belgium. She received her B.A. in Russian language and literature, and International Studies from Korea University. After graduation, she started working in the Central Bank of Korea as an economist, with the aim to contribute to the society. In 2014, to expand her academic knowledge, she enrolled Seoul National University Graduation School of International Studies, where she did a double degree program with University of Leuven’s advanced master’s degree program in Belgium. Currently, she is a Master’s Candidate in International Studies, and in European Politics and Policies from the two universities. Min Ji’s key interests are International Relations, Korea-Russia relations, and Cold War history, but she is also a big fan of Tolstoy.

Wilson Center Project

"Nordpolitik: Road to Pyongyang through Moscow."

Project Summary

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, considerable number of studies on the Soviet Union and Korea in the context of the Cold War has taken place. However, little attention has been devoted to Soviet-South Korea relations since it only lasted briefly as the USSR collapsed shortly after their reconciliation. This research seeks to ascertain why the Soviet Union and South Korea normalize their relations. More specifically, this study intends to reveal the processes through which the normalization of Soviet-South Korea relations happened in 1990. An important aspect of this study is analyzing policies and rhetoric of the Soviet Union and South Korea by scrutinizing previous researches and records on Soviet and South Korean policies and circumstances during the period of 1985-1991.