A question that looms over all others when discussing the future of North and South Korea is whether their Cold War– imposed division will ever end and the two nations be reunited, much as East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. The governments of both North and South Korea have consistently proclaimed unification as a goal, but both have envisioned a united Korea on their terms and under their rule. Recent breakthroughs in Korean diplomacy have raised both hopes and doubts about Korean reunification.

North/South rapprochement got a boost with the 1997 election of Kim Dae Jung as president of South Korea. In 1998, he announced a “Sunshine Policy” of promoting dialogue with the North. His openness toward North Korea culminated in June 2000 with an unprecedented trip to North Korea and a summit visit with North...