Korea   Korea’s Enlightened Policies     By Seoul News Group (Originally in Korean)   The Sunshine Policy

The Sunshine Policy is the key conciliatory policy toward North Korea that the former president Kim Dae-Jung advocated. This policy toward North Korea is not based on confrontation, but humanitarian aid in order to lead North Korea to opening its door. Kim Dae-Jung sent a herd of cows and fertilizer to the North and accomplished the historical summit talk with his counterpart, Kim Jung-Il in 2000. It was soon followed by the reunion of a family that had been separated since the Korean War. In recognition of these accomplishments, Kim Dae-Jung ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The current president, Roh Mooh-Hun ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, also supports the Sunshine Policy and continues to supply food and fertilizer for the North to help the North Korean people. Through these efforts, the Sunshine Policy somehow influenced the North Korean administration in initiating two inter-Korean projects: Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mt. Kumgang tourism. Invested by South Korean businesses, an industrial complex was established in Kaesong, North Korea, which is located near the 38 line, a military line that separates the North and the South. People from the South also began sightseeing at Mt. Kumgang, the North’s famous tourist attraction.

The members of EU visit Kaesong Industrial Complex.	South Korean investors visit Kaesong Industrial Complex.

However, the Sunshine Policy faced a difficult phase internally and externally after North Korea carried out the nuclear test last October. The conservative political groups in South Korea called for a stop to the policy; an international society also intended to take sanctions against the North through a UN resolution. If these economic sanctions are taken, North Korea would go through another harsh plight just like in the mid ‘90s when numerous people died from hunger. The crops produced per year in the North are about 4 million tons while at least 6 million tons are needed to avoid famine.

In spite of the strong objection of the opposition parties, the Roh Moo-Hyun administration announced the government would not compromise the basic principles of the Sunshine Policy. It would maintain the Mt. Kumgang tourism and Kaesong Industrial Complex, calling the two inter-Korean business projects “symbols of peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Roh once said in a TV interview, “Some argue that we should not shy away from going to war. It is truly irresponsible and dangerous. War on the Korean Peninsula would bring about a disaster of collective destruction for all Korean people, where neither a winner nor a loser exists.”

Furthermore, the newly appointed unification minister said that the humanitarian aid for North Korea should be continued even if the North carries out a second nuclear test. All these positive remarks must have sent a good message to the North. The country recently decided to return to the six-way talks where peace and de-nuclearization would be discussed. In fact, now is when the Sunshine Policy is needed most.

This new home care system, which will be implemented in July 2008, is a service aiming to stabilize the life of incapable or ill elderly people and diminish their family burdens. Special care-givers are trained to visit the elderly homes to provide services such as bathing, helping with bodily functions, changing clothes, cleaning, purchasing necessities, and cooking. For those who are ill, the nurses accompany care-givers to assist in treatment and counseling. Those with no family members can be admitted to the designated care centers. The budget for the service is mainly subsidized by the government.

The people with HIV/AIDS in Korea receive free HIV/AIDS Medications provided by both local and central governments. Since the effective anti-AIDS therapy, called the cocktail therapy (the combination of three different AIDS medicines), was introduced to Korea in 1997, those infected do not seclude themselves but constantly keep in touch with public health centers to receive proper help. This helps prevent the viruses from spreading. The HIV/AIDS rate in Korea is less than 0.1 % - with only 4,277 reported cases as of June, Golden Year 3 (2006).

The Korean government has enacted the anti-prostitution law in September, Golden Year 1 (2004). It aims not only at decreasing the sex industry but more importantly at raising awareness that buying sex is a crime or at least a shameful act. Along with the implementation of the law, many woman-related NGOs (non governmental organizations) also spearheaded a public education campaign that asserts that paid sex is violent behavior which abuses women’s human rights and harms their health. Since the law went into effect, the number of brothels and prostitutes has decreased greatly over the past years. Rehabilitation programs for prostitutes were also designed. Some clustered red-light areas almost went out of business, and subsequently human rights abuses at those red light areas have been eliminated even though prostitution still takes place in scattered areas. Nevertheless, the law has already brought positive influence on the public.

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