Sadae: Attendance to the Great

King Taejo

"A shrimp among whales."

This saying has defined Korea's position in East Asia. Korea had been and has been surrounded by large and great powers of China and Japan. Korea was always in danger when the two countries would engage in war. To survive and remain independent, the Koreans had to rely on diplomacy and getting a strong ally - attending to a greater power - in order to survive. And this idea became the core of the traditional diplomacy of old Korea known as Sadae.

Sunshine Policy

Kim Dae-Jung

The Sunshine Policy was a program of reconciliation between North and South Korea under President of the Republic of Korea, Kim Dae-jung. It began a process of acceptance and interaction between the two Koreas. Ultimately, the policy resulted in many historic events.

Nordpolitik: Engaging with the Communist Bloc

Nordpolitik or Northern Policy defined the Republic of Korea's foreign policy towards the communist countries by then-President Roh Tae Woo. With the Détente of the 1970s, The Republic of Korea transitioned from diplomacy based on ideology to one based on practicality and tolerance paving the way for the expansion of the East Asian country's global presence.  Strategically, it also intended to isolate the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or at the very least, bring them to the negotiation table.