After the Korean Summit

Until, perhaps, now. On June 14, 2000, the leaders of the two Koreas signed an accord signifying an unprecedented agreement between the two nations. Before the summit meeting that led to this accord, the two nations were all but at war. In fact, a year to the date of the signing, South Korea was sinking North Korean warships. In just one short year, however, the leaders of these countries were shaking hands and hugging. Kim Dae-jung deserves some credit for this--for the past year he has supported a policy that essentially his northern neighbors. Eggs, fruit, cattle and fertilizer have all found their way to the impoverished North Korea. Kim Jong Il also gets part of the credit. Moved to action by poor economic conditions, he has started to break down the walls that surround his country rather than let his people starve.

It is probably too early to celebrate the summit, but many Koreans and Korean-Americans could not stifle the optimism when they heard of the summit agreement. While the accord didn't deal specifically with military issues (the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea, the nuclear programs in North Korea), it did deal with the one thing most Koreans want resolved--reconciliation and future reunification. While everyone involved is cautious, it is hard not to be hopeful about the cross-border visits planned to occur this summer. Tens of thousands of families have been separated for fifty years, and it is difficult to suppress the excitement brought on by the thought of crossing the DMZ and meeting a lost parent, grandparent, child or sibling. I, too, have hope that the stories I hear in the air around me will change one day, and although I know some of them will continue to have unhappy endings, I look forward to hearing at least a few that finally end in happiness.

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