The role of external actors in the teritorial conflicts: The Korea case

External actors in territorial conflicts are as effective as, and sometimes more than the main actors. External actors intervene in territorial conflicts with their military, economic, political and diplomatic strategies and tools. In this thesis, the plurality of external actors, and how, why and when external actors intervenes in the North and South Korea territorial conflict with the relevant intervention methods were examined. The USA, China, Russia and Japan were chosen as the four external actors of the study. The aim of the study is to examine the intervention of external actors as well as to examine the struggle between external actors through the relevant territorial conflict. The struggle among these great powers, four external actors, in the Northeast Asian region is ongoing. This struggle involving the inter-Korea conflict directly affects the territorial conflict in the region. Territorial conflicts and great power theories are used in the study. It has been observed that in the case of the multiplicity of external actors, territorial conflict prolongs and the struggle between external actors overshadows the conflict. It is analyzed that the conflict becomes more intricate when great powers are the external actors. In the territorial conflict examined, it was found that the struggle between external actors is greater than the scope of the conflict. Keywords: Korea, USA, China, Russia, Japan, Territorial Conflict, External Actors, Great Powers