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Throughout its history, Korea was, as the Koreans themselves say, a "shrimp among whales" - or rather, it was one of several shrimp that lived next to a whale. Naturally, this whale was China. Nevertheless, Korea was not swallowed up by its giant neighbor, and emerged with minimal losses from several conflicts with Japan and the nomadic tribes of the Great Steppe. At the same time, with the exception of a few episodes, the Koreans ensured stability on their borders and their security not by force of arms, but by diplomatic maneuvering. They found their place in the system of international relations that developed in East Asia, and which differed radically from the Westphalian system we are accustomed to. The lecture will discuss how Korea managed to survive, as well as how the system of international relations in East Asia was organized (and it was organized in a very unusual way).