SEOUL, October 23. /TASS/. The clashes between Israel and the Palestinian radical movement Hamas are a manifestation of the collapse of the liberal US-centric international order, researcher Chung Jae-hung, of the South Korean Sejong Institute, has told TASS.

"Armed clashes between Israel and Hamas, which began in the process of the imminent collapse of the unipolar liberal-democratic international order with the US at its center, will be a turning point in the formation of a multipolar world," Chung said.

In his opinion, the reaction of Arab and Muslim countries will be firm and decisive. As a result, it will be impossible to maintain the order established by the United States in the Middle East. These countries "clearly see US propaganda and arrogance" that Washington used to secure the interests of its military-industrial complex and energy industry after the Cold War, the expert said.

As Chung noted, the administration of current president, Yoon Suk-yeol is involved in attempts to preserve the US-centric world order by supporting Ukraine and building foreign policy rhetoric around liberal and democratic values. However, the expert says, Seoul should refrain from meddling in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as this could aggravate the situation on the Korean Peninsula and increase the likelihood of an armed clash with the DPRK. On October 21, the South Korean president left for Saudi Arabia for a state visit.

38th parallel

"Big changes are taking place across Eurasia and this has already started to directly affect the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait," the analyst believes. He recalled that against this background, the US sent a B-52 bomber to the region, which landed on South Korean territory for the first time on October 17. In his opinion, this is nothing but a political gesture that will have minimal significance for the security situation.

Instead of containing the DPRK, China and Russia, the analyst believes, Seoul should try to establish contacts with these countries and take part in the creation of a new multipolar system of international relations. In this regard, Chung noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Pyongyang on October 18-19 was important because Russia and the DPRK were able to discuss ways of "strengthening relations for the medium and long term" and cooperation in the economy and energy.