햇볕 정책 Sunshine 용어

6:4127 Apr

Sunshine and shadow

As some observers question how new today's developments really are, here's a quick reminder of what previous summits achieved:

2000

In 1998, Kim Dae-jung started his "sunshine" policy of engagement with the North which led to the 2000 summit.

That first inter-Korean summit resulted in humanitarian and economic co-operation, and reunions of families separated by the border.

It also led to the Kaseong economic zone in 2004, which produced South Korean factories staffed by North Korean workers at the border.

In 2000, Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize for his policy of reconciliation.

2007

Roh Moo-hyun's continuation of the "sunshine" policy led to a second meeting with Kim Jong-il in 2007.

The meeting took place as six-party talks on denuclearisation where under way with the US, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme in return for aid.

The summit ended in an agreement to resolve nuclear issues, end military hostilities and sign a permanent peace treaty but all that fell through after the North resorted to nuclear and missile tests and the South elected more conservative presidents, opposed to the "sunshine".