While the North's nuclear ambitions have critics blasting President Kim's Sunshine Policy as a failure, President-elect Roh Moo-hyun told France's Le Monde daily it is the only way to resolve the nuclear problem on the peninsula. In an interview with the French newspaper, Roh flatly rejected such criticism and stressed there is no alternative to Seoul's engagement policy.

The president-elect explained Seoul's conciliatory gestures have induced a series of changes in North Korea over the past few years. For this reason he vowed to press on with efforts to persuade friends and allies on the importance of pursuing the Sunshine Policy, to win the support of conservatives at home and abroad who remain critical to the approach.

(Arirang TV)