Iran and the Korean Peninsula: Continuation of Classical Pragmatism in Foreign Policy

The Iranian policy behavior toward the Korean Peninsula has generally remained as an anomaly to its overall pattern of foreign policymaking with regard to many other parts of the world. Both under the Pahlavi monarchy and the Islamic Republic, Iran has often kept a rather low-profile yet active approach vis-à-vis the Koreans on both sides of the peninsula, aiming to accomplish a great deal of its objectives in all political, military, economic, financial, technological, and cultural areas. Applying a pragmatist framework of analysis, this study argues that within the past several decades the Iranian orientation has been somehow persistent and effective, making it possible for Tehran to quietly pursue its various goals in the peninsula at a relatively low cost. More importantly, Iran’s approach toward the Korean Peninsula under the Islamic Republic and the lessons Tehran gleaned from its multifaceted interactions with South Korea and North Korea over a course of more than four decades could be used as an illuminating template for foreign policymaking toward some other important regions where Iran has enormous interests.