Sunshine Policy

[6] The term "Sunshine Policy" originates from a speech given by Kim Dae-jung after his election, in which he referenced The North Wind and the Sun, one of Aesop's fables.

The sun, however, has a different effect: its blistering rays cause the traveler to sweat and, unable to continue walking in the sweltering heat, he decides to take off his cloak.

[11] The main aim of the policy was to soften North Korea's attitudes towards the South by encouraging interaction and economic assistance.

Kim Dae-jung's administration was well aware of the prevalent fear spread within North Korea, afraid of its own identity as a state being taken away through coerced integration or any interaction with the international community.

[7] In line with these principles, Kim ordered that the term "reunification" be removed from the vocabulary used to describe relations with their northern neighbour as this promoted the idea that the South sought to absorb or destroy the North.

Initially, it was intended that the two states would treat each other as equals, each making concessions and compromises, with the philosophy that "give and take" was required from both parties.

[13] The logic of the policy was based on the belief that, even in light of its continuing shortages and economic duress, the North's government will not collapse, disintegrate, or reform itself, even if the South were to apply strong pressure.

North-South cooperative business developments began, including a railroad and the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, where several thousand South Korean citizens still traveled until 2008, when there was a shooting incident and the trips were cancelled.

The two governments continued cooperation on the projects begun under Kim Dae-jung and also started the Kaesong Industrial Park, with South Korea spending the equivalent of just over $324 million on aid to the North in 2005.

[20] There appeared to be a pro-unification Korean trend in public attitudes during the Roh administration, though there are significant differences between generations, political groups, and regions.

Roh made a stopover at Panmunjom and crossed the Military Demarcation Line by foot, stating that his gesture would symbolize the future reunification of Korea.

It is theorized that the 'time-differential' in the interaction between the two nations did not aid in the restoration of trust and cooperation but led to further problems in missing transparency and the delay in fully understanding the implications of the policy, which did not benefit the mass as much as expected.

Internationally and at home, the South Korean government has been criticized for repeatedly abstaining from United Nations votes condemning the North's human rights record.

Kim Suk-young mentions that North Korean government is "both strong and weak" and it is affected by "external and internal pressures" and its decisions to militarize and nuclearize or not are made due to the relationship with other countries.

On October 9, 2006, before the nuclear and missile tests, South Korea suspended aid shipments to the North and put their military on high alert status.

From March 2008, however, the new president of the South, Lee Myung-bak and his conservative Grand National Party took a different stance to North Korea, and the South Korean government stated that any expansion of the economic cooperation at the Kaesong Industrial Region would only happen if the North resolved the international standoff over its nuclear weapons.

Relations have again chilled, with North Korea making military moves such as a series of short-range ship-to-ship missile tests.

According to Jungmin Kang writing in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: "Because of the post-1998 'Sunshine Policy', many South Korean nongovernmental organizations and the public weren't concerned about North Korea's threats, believing that Pyongyang would never use nuclear weapons against them.

On 27 April 2018, the first of three summits took place between Moon and Kim in the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area inside of the Peace House.

This meeting was unannounced to the media prior, but focused on discussions around Kim's upcoming summit with United States President Donald Trump.

[49] The summit also resulted on an agreement to reopen a jointly operated liaison office in Kaesong that the South had shut down in February 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test.

[50] The office was operational from September 2018 to June 2020 and held many inter-Korean talks, until the building was demolished by North Korea amid rising tensions.

North Korea agreed to dismantle their nuclear complex in the presence of international experts if the U.S. takes correlative action, although this never occurred.

[54] On 17 July 2018, South and North Korea fully restored their military communication line on the western part of the peninsula.

In preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics, held in South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un proposed sending a delegation of athletes and officials.

[58] On 1 April 2018, South Korean K-pop stars performed a concert in Pyongyang entitled "Spring is Coming", which was attended by Kim Jong-un and his wife.

[63][64] While Moon is commended for his attempts at seeking peace for the peninsula, increased military hostility from South Korea and the United States has soured inter-Korean relations since 2019.

[68] North Korean foreign ministry further criticized the Trump administration that year for "empty promise[s]",[69] and further took action by demolishing the four-story joint-liaison office building it shared with South Korea on June 17.