I have been wondering, since the election of Moon Jae-in in May, if the new president would attempt to resurrect the "Sunshine Policy" toward North Korea. Given the changed political context, both with a less sympathetic international regime (i.e. populism and resurgent nationalism in various countries) and with the North's nuclear and ICBM efforts, I don't quite see how this would work.
His recent speech given while in Germany is short on details (of course), but it does seem to outline a return to his party's roots as established by Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun from 1998-2008. The one major policy aspect I most question is his focus on reunification. I should think that emphasizing reunification – especially on the German model – would be more likely to annoy the North than encourage it. It's not like the German reunification played out as if between equals. But I suppose Moon was sincerely trying to adapt his message to his audience, in this case, and reflecting that post-Soviet 1990s moment that was undoubtedly formative for him, personally.
[daily log: walking, 11km]