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The End of History, the Rise of Ideology, and the Future of Democracy on the Korean Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2016

Scott Snyder
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Extract

Almost exactly a half-century following the outbreak of the Korean War, South Korea president Kim Dae-jung made a historic visit to Pyongyang for the first-ever summit meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas in June of 2000. A decade following the collapse of communism in the rest of the world, Kim's journey would inevitably be judged in history as a potential starting point for the end of inter-Korean confrontation. Three days following direct, broad-ranging discussions with his counterpart, Kim Jong Il, Kim Dae-jung confidently returned to Seoul with an inter-Korean summit declaration promising enhanced efforts at reconciliation and inter-Korean exchange. Upon his return to Seoul, Kim Dae-jung declared that there would be “no more war” on the Korean Peninsula. The next task was to institutionalize an array of exchanges and inter-Korean interactions designed eventually to lead to national reconciliation.

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Articles
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , May 2003 , pp. 199 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 

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References

Notes

The opinions expressed in this chapter are personal views and do not necessarily represent the views of The Asia Foundation. I would like to thank Ms. Eun Jung Cahill Che and Ms. Seon Yong Ban for providing research assistance in the preparation of this chapter.Google Scholar

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