Professor Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University has called for the launch of ‘Sunshine Policy, Mk.2’ targeting ordinary people and junior cadres, rather than Mk.1, which was aimed at fostering exchanges with the leadership.
Professor Lankov was participating in a seminar hosted yesterday by the Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, ‘Towards the Establishment of a Denuclearized Korean Peninsula and Shared Peace.’
While promoting the policy, however, Lankov, who has long believed that it is necessary to foster a changed worldview within the North Korean populace and who characterizes deterrence by force as an ineffective means of pursuing denuclearization, warned against expecting too much from it, saying, “The South Korean government must not expect their North Korean counterparts to pursue liberal reforms as a result of this process.”
Meanwhile, Lee Sang Hyeon, the Ministry of Unication director of policy planning, noted in the same event, “We all know that inter-Korean relations cannot progress until the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved, and the issue is also a burden to peace and stability all throughout Northeast Asia as well.”
But, Lee nevertheless warned of the need for “proof regarding North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization.”
