Korea Betrayed: Kim Dae Jung and Sunshine

by Donald Kirk

This book recounts the rise of Kim Dae Jung from an oppressed region of Korea, beginning with his schooldays, his activities in the Korean War and his entry into politics and concluding with discussion of his Sunshine policy, his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his drive for the Nobel.

263 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a witness to many events covered in the book, and having met and gotten to know many of the people mentioned, I regret to say this is not a very good book. This very well-researched book is spoiled by Don Kirk's heavy-handed innuendo. A straightforward presentation of the facts would have made a better and perhaps more damning portrait of the late Kim Dae Jung. For example, although Kirk admits at one point that the rough-and-tumble of (south) Korean politics would have turned up the merest trace of evidence that Kim was a Communist or Communist sympathizer, much less a North Korean agent, he repeatedly implies that Kim, if not a North Korean agent, was a closet supporter of Pyongyang.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Donald Kirk’s Korea Betrayed details the background, life and rise of South Korea’s 15th president, Kim Dae-Jung (DJ). A virtual statesmen celebrity in South Korea and appearing to be revered by all the late president of the ROK is perhaps most well-known in the western world for his famous “Sunshine Policy” culminating in his famous meeting with Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang in 2000 for which he also won the Nobel Peace Prize. From the perspective of the outside world Kim Dae-Jung looked to be almost an “Asian Nelson Mandela” of sorts, suffering under the Japanese occupation as well as unlawful imprisonment under the militarist regimes of Park Chung-Hee and later Chun Doo-Hwan. His story appears to be one of triumph and success, a child born into adversity, surviving the oppression of the Japanese and the horrors of World War II and the Korean War to become one of the most beloved Executives of South Korea. His later life was smeared however after several accusations of “paying off” the DPRK to meet him among other things marred his great successes for the rest of his life.
Reviewing Kim’s early life, career and the struggles he faced to finally ascend to the presidency, it seems almost as if he dedicated his life to the success and preservation of his homeland. After witnessing the atrocities of the Japanese as a child followed by the macabre scenes of the Korea War as a young man, he must have felt some type of connection, endearment to his homeland. That being said the man was also a politician, and as such perhaps fell victim to the necessities of the political rhetoric and strategy of a politician. Using his political clout and know-how he negotiated an audience with the despot of North Korea Kim Jong-Il, the apex of his Sunshine Policy toward his northern brethren. His idea was to, in effect, shower the DPRK with kindness and well-intended acts to win them over and perhaps facilitate more open and amiable relations in an otherwise hostile political and international environment, even if it may have involved a little bribery.
The question that Kirk seems to ask without answering is how exactly was Korea betrayed? Was it by her former leader or was the betrayal perhaps the critics of his actions? The trouble with politics is sometimes it is an environment where less-than-reputable means can lead to progress and prosperity. While the world may be critical of Kim Dae-Jung’s methods, they certainly achieved some results, at least during his life and whether or not Kim Jong-Il was bribed to meet with him may perhaps be irrelevant in the light of the symbolic gesture it entailed and what it symbolized in the hearts and minds of the peoples of North and South Korea.