The August 25 agreement which saw a dial-down of inter-Korean tensions this summer is evidence that the “Trustpolitik” policy works, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said at a statesmen’s forum in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

Park said South Korea’s response to the August landmine incident showed that Seoul was able to “respond decisively” to North Korean provocations while keeping the door “open to dialogue,” a position that echoed the policy of Trustpolitik outlined in a speech in Dresden last year.

By keeping loudspeakers on that were broadcasting propaganda north in the face of Pyongyang’s threats, Trustpolitik “paved the way for