In the early twenty-first century, the two Koreas were still separated and their relations were often tense and suspicious. North Korea was politically isolated and suffering from economic collapse and famine. Nevertheless, the 37,000 American troops stationed in South Korea had prevented a North Korean attack for nearly a half century. North Koreans were at least talking about a peace treaty, rather than engaging in threatening acts. As its economy spiraled downward, it was becoming more difficult for North Korea to mount an attack against the South.
In 1998 South Korea inaugurated its first elected opposition president, Kim Dae-jung. His new administration quickly called for a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. It also released hundreds of pro-North Korean political prisoners
And allowed South Korean citizens to listen to North Korean radio broadcasts for the first time without fear of arrest.
Kim Dae-jung's efforts received international recognition in 2000, when the South Korean president received the Nobel Peace Prize.
North Korea was motivated to seek reconciliation with the south by a desperate economic situation, as well as by a desire for national unity. According to a United Nations conference held in Beijing, China, in May, 2001, crop failures and other economic problems had produced a declining life expectancy and rising rate of child mortality in North Korea. Food shortages in North Korea worsened even further when China and Korea were hit by torrential rains in August, 2002. However, Kim Jong-il and his military chiefs were apparently determined to retain power.
In the eyes of most expert observers, the North Korean leadership continued to be unpredictable in its actions and authoritarian in its character. In talks between representatives of the two Koreas in August, 2002, North Korea agreed to discuss economic cooperation with its southern counterpart, to set a timetable for
The capital of South Korea, Seoul had a population of 11 million people in 2002, making it one of the largest cities in the world. (PhotoDisc)
Open road and rail connections between North and South, and to permit more reunions of members of families divided by the border. Although reunification was difficult, given the reluctance of the North Korean government to give up power over its population, it was popular with the Korean people. At the first soccer match on Korean soil between teams from North and South Korea—a World Cup game in Seoul on September 7, 2002— spectators cheered enthusiastically when players on both teams held up a flag showing an undivided Korean peninsula.
At the same time that the two Koreas seemed to be drawing closer, North Korea managed to improve its relationship with Japan, with which it had not had diplomatic relations in fifty-four years. In mid-September, 2002, Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi traveled to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il. The North Korean leader unexpectedly admitted to the Japanese prime minister that North Korea had kidnapped Japanese citizens in the 1970's and 1980's, as many Japanese had long maintained. Some of the kidnapped were still living in North Korea. This new openness about past wrongdoing was believed to set the stage for improving ties between the two countries.
The Korean peninsula remained one of the world's most dangerous places, with a half century of bitter hostility and conflict, opposing ideologies, and competing strategic interests of several big powers. Although the United States backed away from its support for peace talks between North and South in 2001, after President George W. Bush came to power, the United States began to renew its dialogue with North Korea at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the summer of 2002. A peace treaty between North and South Korea might take many years to negotiate, but it would surely mark a step forward toward peace in Asia and the world.
Wayne Patterson Updated by the Editors
World History
