How Bush Is Pushing South Koreans Apart // His hawkish stance on North Korea has further polarized the political rivals vying to replace South Korean President Kim Dae Jung

On the surface, President Bush's visit to South Korea went a long way toward calming tensions between Washington and Seoul over how to handle communist North Korea. Bush and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung stood side by side on the edge of the tense demilitarized zone, the world's last remaining Cold War frontier, to urge Pyongyang to resume a dialogue. "We are prepared to talk with the North about steps that would lead to a better future," Bush said at the border.
Beneath the diplomatic niceties and words of praise, however, is the cold reality of a sharp divergence in the allies' approaches to North Korea. Bush was quick to reassert his skepticism of the Stalinist regime's reforms. Kim, meanwhile, reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to his "sunshine" policy of engaging North Korea, which has been characterized by Seoul's incentives and the lack of punitive steps for failing to deliver on promises.