South Korea, the Six Party Talks, and Relations with the Major Powers
227threat to China if it does not pursue friendly relations with both Koreas at
present. From a realist standpoint, which has been attributed to China’s
actions, befriending both Koreas can only serve to benefit China’s trade
and increase its power and influence in the North East Asian region. North
Korea has provided a buffer zone for Chinese security interests, while
South Korea has become a valuable trading partner.^20 By working with
both Korean governments, China can create a diplomatic and economic
role for itself which positions it to better shape the future of the Korean
peninsula and the region at large.
At the same time that Roh was strengthening ties with China, the US
CIA came out with new details about the extent of the North’s nuclear
program. Fears were planted in the minds of South Koreans about the use
and possible abuse of financial aid being diverted to develop the nuclear
program–a theory supported by the opposition Grand National Party. This
fear helped the Grand National Party (GNP) to gain popularity during the
election cycle, and in the 2007 elections the public decisively voted
against the status quo relations with the North by electing hard-liner Lee
Myung Bak. Surprisingly, not long into the presidency, Lee suggested
reopening a dialogue with the North and restarting the food aid program.
Neither approach gained much traction, though, due to a devastating blow
to relations in 2008. A South Korean woman was shot and killed by North
Korean soldiers because she had wandered away from the ski path at Mt.
Kumgang resort. The backlash from the South Korean public was
palpable, and President Lee resumed his hard line stance following the
incident.^21
Lee Myung Bak: The End of “Sunshine”
and Renewed US-Korea Relations
President Lee Myung Bak reversed course from his predecessors, both in
terms of policy towards the North as well as towards the United States.
While relations with China remained fairly strong, Lee also resumed the
South’s strong relationship with the US. In 2009, Lee officially put an end
to the Sunshine Policy, based primarily on the concerns about diverted
funds being used for the North’s nuclear program, as well as on a general
conviction that the Policy had allowed the North to take advantage of the
naïveté of the South. Under the Lee Presidency, from a constructivist
view, the government perpetuated a Hobbesian vision of a threatening and
(^20) Eberstadt, “The North Korean Endgame”, 79, 87.
(^21) BBC, “South Korean Shot Dead in North.”