HONOLULU -- Now that the South Korean presidential elections are over, it's time for outgoing President Kim Dae Jung to take the necessary steps to ensure a proper legacy. No, I am not talking about his "sunshine policy" of engagement with North Korea. His bold, if only partially successful, efforts at redefining South-North relations, which deservedly earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, have solidified his legacy as a peacemaker, regardless of periodic North Korean attempts to undermine the process.
But, as things stand right now, Kim can also say, with considerably less pride, that he has overseen the greatest decline in South Korean-U.S. relations since the two allies stood side by side in their fight to preserve the republic a half-century ago. This is not to say that the alliance is seriously at risk today, or that the decline is primarily Kim's fault. But clearly the alliance is troubled and the growing downward momentum is troubling. This is not a legacy Kim should want to leave behind.
Allowing anti-American sentiment to fester was a convenient and successful tactic during the presidential elections; it served the interests and ambitions of the ruling party's candidate, President-elect Roh Moo Hyun. Yet, as Kim himself so eloquently argued in the past, the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains vital to Seoul's security and to regional stability in general. Its current deterioration must be reversed.