Former President Bill Clinton was an ardent supporter of Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy" of engaging with North Korea during his presidency.
During a series of summits with former President Kim Dae-jung from 1998 till 2001, Clinton said he stood fully behind Kim's policy. He said it is the best realistic option for Korean peace.
Under Clinton's blessing, Kim held a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000. The two Koreas started the Mt. Geumgang tourism project, and launched the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
North Korea's top military leader Cho Myong-lok visited the United States and Clinton's Secretary of State Medeline Albright met Kim Jong-il before the Bush administration was inaugurated in 2001.
The United States and North Korea had aired the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties during Clinton's waning presidency. But the conservative successor Bush put a brake on improving Washington-Pyonyang relations and Seoul-Pyongyang ties.
Bush described North Korea as a member of an axis of evil although he softened his hardline policy toward the Stalinist country in the latter part of his presidency.
Clinton's visit to Pyongyang appears to be purely aimed at freeing the two American journalists. Although Clinton is a former U.S. head of state, he is still influential as his Democrat successor Barack Obama is now the resident of the White House.
His wife Hillary Clinton is the incumbent secretary of state. It is still unclear whether Clinton carries a message from the Obama administration. But Clinton will surely give a feedback to his wife and President Obama when he returns from North Korea.
Seoul will also get briefing on Clinton's Pyongyang visit.
The question is whether North Korea has any intention to scrap its nuclear weapons. Few, including Obama, believe Pyongyang will give up nuclear weapons.
As Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said, there will be no breakthrough in inter-Korean relations and Washington-Pyongyang ties unless the Communist country renounces its nuclear ambitions.
