South Korea

==== China and Russia ====
{{Main|China–South Korea relations|South Korea–Taiwan relations|Russia–South Korea relations}}[[File:Vladimir Putin and Moon Jae-in (2017-09-06) 01.jpg|thumb|South Korean president [[Moon Jae-in]] meets with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]].]]
Historically, Korea had close relations with the dynasties in China, and some Korean kingdoms were members of the [[Tributary system of China|Imperial Chinese tributary system]]. The Korean kingdoms also ruled over some Chinese kingdoms including the Khitan people and the Manchurians before the Qing dynasty and received tributes from them.<ref>A New History of Korea p. 61</ref> In modern times, before the formation of South Korea, Korean independence fighters worked with Chinese soldiers during the Japanese occupation. However, after World War&nbsp;II, the People's Republic of China embraced [[Maoism]] while South Korea sought close relations with the United States. The PRC assisted North Korea with manpower and supplies during the Korean War, and in its aftermath the diplomatic relationship between South Korea and the PRC almost completely ceased. Relations thawed gradually, and South Korea and the PRC re-established formal diplomatic relations on 24 August 1992. The two countries sought to improve bilateral relations and lifted the forty-year-old trade embargo,<ref name="Asia Times-2004">{{cite news |date=11 September 2004 |title=Asia Times&nbsp;– News and analysis from Korea; North and South |work=Asia Times |location=Hong Kong |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FI11Dg03.html |url-status=unfit |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040911032145/http://atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FI11Dg03.html |archive-date=11 September 2004}}</ref> and South Korean–Chinese relations have improved steadily since 1992.<ref name="Asia Times-2004" /> The Republic of Korea broke off official relations with the [[Taiwan|Republic of China (Taiwan)]] upon gaining official relations with the People's Republic of China, which does not recognize [[Political status of Taiwan#Position of the People's Republic of China (PRC)|Taiwan's sovereignty]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kristof |first=Nicholas D. |date=24 August 1992 |title=Chinese and South Koreans Formally Establish Relations |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/24/world/chinese-and-south-koreans-formally-establish-relations.html |access-date=18 February 2017 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619113034/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/24/world/chinese-and-south-koreans-formally-establish-relations.html |url-status=live }}</ref> China has become South Korea's largest trading partner by far, sending 26% of South Korean exports in 2016 worth $124 billion, as well as an additional $32 billion worth of exports to [[Hong Kong]].<ref name="MIT-2018">{{cite web |date=10 March 2018 |title=South Korea Country Profile |url=https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/kor/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409050138/https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/kor/ |archive-date=9 April 2019 |access-date=9 March 2018 |work=MIT}}</ref> South Korea is also China's fourth largest trading partner, with $93 billion of Chinese imports in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 March 2018 |title=China Country Profile |url=https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/chn/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718124252/https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/chn/ |archive-date=18 July 2018 |access-date=9 March 2018 |work=MIT}}</ref>

Following the Korean War, the Soviet Union's relation with North Korea resulted in little contact until the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]. Since the 1990s, there has been greater trade and cooperation between the two nations.