Social SciencesInternational RelationsPolitical ScienceDiplomacyGlobalizationStrategic StudiesGeopoliticsInternational CooperationKorean HistoryKorean StudiesNational SecuritySummit DiplomacyForeign Relations Of KoreaKorean DiplomacyKorean EconomyKorean NationalismKorean PoliticsModern Korean HistoryNorth Korean HistoryPopular Movements In Korea
The June 2000 summit between North and South Korea has engendered exaggerated hopes and unreasonable fears. At one extreme is the optimism of those who see the summit as an irrefutable sign of North Korea's intention to join the rest of the world as a constructive player. At the other extreme, it is seen as a masterstroke of deception by Pyongyang to reap economic gains and lower the guard of Seoul and its allies, principally the United States. A more realistic assessment lies somewhere in between. Clearly, Kim Jong-Il has not decided overnight to atone for all the regime's past ills. Nonetheless, his emergence on the world stage has started an inevitable process - intended or not - of North Korea opening itself to the rest of the world.