한국 국민의 러시아 인식과 루소포비아 현상 - 연령대별 인식 차이 -

Abstract

The division of North and South Korea and the confrontation between capitalism and socialism formed a Russophobia in the Korean people toward the Soviet Union as the suzerain of socialism. Russophobia seemed to disappear with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and market reforms in Russia in the 1990s, but Russophobia intensified with Putin’s “strong Russia” motto in the 2000s and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, there are differences in the perception of Russia by the Korean people by age group. Younger age groups have less negative views of Russia, but are less interested in Russia and feel less need to cooperate with Russia. Older age groups have more negative views of Russia, but are more interested in Russia and feel the need to cooperate with Russia more. The older age group thinks that Korea needs to cooperate with Russia from the viewpoint of national interest, considering Russia’s international status and natural resources. Since South Korea and the United States are allies, South Koreans believe there are limits to cooperation between South Korea and Russia. However, if the foreign policy of the United States runs counter to the national interest of Korea, Koreans may perceive the United States more negatively than Russia. In addition, interviews confirmed that a trip to Russia or education on Russia can be an opportunity to improve the Korean public’s perception of Russia.