The Korean Sunshine Policy: Its Light and Shade

This article examines the aspects and achievements of Kim Dae Jung administration's Sunshine policy by researching government documents and then suggests appropriate directions for South Korea new administration's policy toward North Korea. Despite many fruitful achievements as a result of an active implementation of the Sunshine policy by the Kim Dae Jung government, inter‐Korean relations have not resulted in full national consensus and political support domestically, nor have they defused the distrust and tense confrontation with its counterpart. Externally, the Kim government has experienced difficulty in pushing its policy toward the North, lacking cooperation from the U.S. Based on a review of the Sunshine policy of the Kim government, this paper makes to the following policy recommendations for the new South Korean government. First, it should seek out nation‐wide understanding and consent, and establish a policy toward North Korea based on a firm national security posture and cooperation with the U.S.; second, it should continue economic cooperation with the North, but avoid hasty and international economic cooperation. In order to maintain stability while encouraging economic cooperation, it should pursue both the completion of legal and institutional measures, and multilateral economic cooperation; third, it should demand the implementation of North‐South agreements by North Korea while maintaining flexible reciprocity; fourth, by closely monitoring the distribution of aid funds, it should clear up any suspicion of inappropriate distribution, and seek cooperation from international organizations and NGOs for efficient monitoring; finally, the new government should not involve its policy toward North Korea with domestic politics, and avoid manipulating it for the administration's benefit.