Korean Perspective on Potential Historical Grievances in Relations with Russia before 1910

In the case of East Asia, the expression "history is past politics" is not just a phrase, but also an accurate description of reality. References to historical events are common both in public and state-regulated discourses. Central to the historical memory politics is the concept of "historical grievances", with one side painting itself as an innocent victim and the other as a vile assailant to discredit them and mobilize own population. Russo-Korean relations are free from hard to resolve or agenda-dominating grievances, but certain historical events contain seeds of potential grievances. This paper aims to analyze potentially "problematic" aspects of Russo-Korean relations up to the early twentieth century, i.e. "Albazin wars" of the late 1600s, "Noktundo Island" dispute and events surrounding Russian Empire's influence on Korean domestic affairs in the late 19 th – early 20 th century. The analysis covers both South Korean and North Korean views.