The December 2002 presidential elections
were won by the more progressive Roh Moo-hyn
who beat a conservative candidate. The issue of
how to deal with the North was a central issue.
Roh Moo-hyn campaigned on the promise tocontinue the ‘sunshine policy’ and end corruption
and was inaugurated in February 2003. Despite
rising resentment of the US, which had supported
past military regimes, the bedrock of security
remained the US alliance.