HONOLULU -- The unmaking of a hero is never pretty, but the fall of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has been especially ugly. The statesman leaves behind a shredded legacy and he, like many of his predecessors, is but one step ahead of the prosecutor. Even his Nobel Peace Price has been tarnished: his crowning achievement, the historic June 2000 summit between the two Korean leaders, appears to have been bought.
Kim deserves applause for his readiness to challenge the old order and take risks. Unfortunately, he must also be faulted for not acknowledging the failure of his vision. His "sunshine policy" permanently altered the terms of Korean engagement, but Pyongyang exploited that policy every chance it could. The refusal to recognize the limits of the sunshine policy guarantees that more mistakes will be made in the future.
Kim came to power determined to end the stalemate on the Korean Peninsula. He announced that his government would renounce the hostility toward the North pursued by his predecessors and attempt to moderate North Korean behavior through engagement. His sunshine policy had three pillars: no toleration of North Korean armed provocations, no attempt to overthrow or absorb the North, and the promotion of reconciliation of the two Koreas. While Kim didn't abandon the goal of reunification, that objective was kicked down the road.