Last week's dramatic announcement of an inter-Korean summit provides an opportunity to test the momentum created by North Korea's pragmatic attempt to develop new relationships with the outside world. South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's "sunshine" policy has supported Pyongyang's own apparent efforts to reach out to the international community. It is only fitting that North Korea reciprocate by acknowledging the South as a legitimate counterpart and the likely main partner in achieving economic rehabilitation.
Some critics have suggested that attempts to influence the outcome of South Korea's National Assembly elections drove the timing of the summit announcement, but now the elections are over and the opportunity to progress toward inter-Korean reconciliation remains to be grasped. Most notably, all the former South Korean presidents endorsed the summit announcement even during the heat of a domestic election campaign, and the divided outcome of the election itself underscores the need for leadership that broadly represents the desires of the South Korean people: namely, pursuit of engagement with reciprocity.
The South Korean election result is also a subtle reminder that the sunshine policy in its current form may not last forever. Given the uncertain outcomes of Japanese and U.S. elections to be held later this year, the atmosphere for an agreement that can "lock in" important gains for North Korea may never be better than now.