Upon his inauguration in February 1998, President Kim Dae Jung initiated a groundbreaking process of engagement with North Korea called the "sunshine policy,?h aimed at dispelling mutual distrust and hostility, while promoting peaceful co-existence between the two Koreas. Progress has been shown through tourist development at Mt. Kumgang and increased meetings of divided families, yet the positive aspects of the sunshine policy have recently been clouded by unforeseen actions taken by the Kim Jung Il regime in North Korea. Essentially the policy adopts the liberal institutionalism view that the utilization of institutions plays an important role in creating cooperation among the two nations. However, due to the ever increasing uncertainty of cooperation in the North, it is becoming clear that the sunshine policy is neither sufficient nor productive in ameliorating relations between the two Koreas and that perhaps South Korea should decide to implement a more realist approach in policy-making which stresses security above all things.

On July 27, 1953, the United States, North Korea and China signed an armistice in Panmunjeom, thus ending the Korean War. This settlement called for a

temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement, a cease-fire, and a truce in hostilities, to allow for talks and negotiation regarding a real end to hostilities, and to possible reunification. By no means was this a peace treaty and even if it were, it is noted that South Korea refused to sign. Although the Korean War ended in 1953, conflict between the two countries remains to this day, especially in the vicinity of the Demilitarized Zone at the 38th parallel. The sunshine policy is an attempt to improve relations in accordance to the armistice. It is based on three central principles: non-tolerance of any military provocation by North Korea, the official abandonment of the idea of unification by absorbing the North and negation of any other measures to undermine or threaten North Korea, and the promotion of inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation (Hwang). As in most cases, there are pros and cons, nevertheless the positive results of the policy compared to that which is lacking in the policy seems negligible and unimpressive.

The Hyundai tourism project?fs future is in doubt due to the drop in demand for cruises (BBC). Although the Hyundai Group had high hopes that their work, their efforts, and their money alone would sustain the relationship, they were assuming that North Korea actually desired cooperation when in fact it may have been taking advantage of easy money. The current situation reaffirms this belief of exploitation by North Korea. Whereas the Hyundai Group loses money every month, Pyongyang insists that it be reimbursed monetarily for the drop in tourism (Choe). As John Mearsheimer points out in his article, The False Promise of International Institutions, the theory is only effective when dealing with economic issues. Now that the economic deal has turned sour, South Korea must grasp the reality that its security has been weakened. North Korea took advantage of South Korean economy, and more than likely, poured it into their military. Once again, the efforts of the Hyundai Group, although well-intended and almost righteous, diminished South Korea?fs security economically and militarily. Perhaps in this situation, the optimistic aspirations for accommodating relations blurred the actual cost-benefit analysis and the fact that the success of this project depended on assurance of North Korean cooperation which never truly existed. If the realist theories of survival and security were put atop the priorities of the sunshine policy, the Hyundai Group would never have attempted this idealistic endeavor.

North Korea sustains itself by effec

Some common words found in the essay are:
South Korea, North Korea, Jung Il, Korean War, South Korean, North Korean, BBC Hyundai, Korea Essentially, South Koreafs, Dae Jung, north korea, south korea, sunshine policy, kim jung, kim jung il, jung il, kim dae, korean war, divided families, north korean, international community, kim dae jung, actions kim jung, response south korea, security south korea,
Approximate Word count = 1748
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)