Whilst identification of Korea's Arctic issue agenda and motives has been established, there is little examination as to determining why certain issues and partnerships are being developed at certain points in the context of regional geopolitical shifts. I argue that Korea's role in the Arctic represents a shift in Korea's middle power strategy from bridge nation to pivot nation. Korea's current Arctic strategy links to a wider transcontinental strategy. As a result, conventional middle power criteria are being challenged by a strategy based on network centrality rather than “middle” structural location or resource concentration. This shift represents not just “middle power” leverage but opens potentially different understandings and expectations over what counts as middle power leverage.

中文翻译：

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从中间大国到枢轴大国：韩国是欧亚大陆时代的北极观察者

虽然已经确定了朝鲜的北极问题议程和动机，但对于确定为什么在区域地缘政治转变的背景下在某些时候发展某些问题和伙伴关系的研究很少。我认为，韩国在北极的角色代表着韩国中等国家战略从过渡国家向枢轴国家的转变。韩国目前的北极战略与更广泛的跨洲战略联系在一起。结果，传统的中间功率标准正受到基于网络中心性而不是“中间”结构位置或资源集中的策略的挑战。这种转变不仅代表“中间力量”的杠杆作用，而且还对可能算作中间力量的杠杆打开了潜在的不同理解和期望。