Taken with the lack of results from the Obama administration's attemptedengagement with the junta, these developments highlight the need for stepped-up regional activism in favor of democracy in Burma, especially from its democratic neighbors.
Kim Dae-jung, who died in 2009, and the Hyundai conglomerate were key players in the so-called Sunshine Policy years from 1998 to 2008, during which South Korea attempted to improve relations with Pyongyang through political engagement and financial support.