Before inter-Korean relations reached the peak of the 2000 Summit, South Korean businesses, civil society and academic communities had already reached a heightened mode of economic cooperation and cultural exchanges with the North.

In 1999, Hyundai cruises were boarding South Koreans and passing through the sea border to Mount Kumgang. I was on the second Kumgang tour, waking up with the mesmerizing sight of the mountain and malnourished young soldiers who were guarding the port. It was a moving moment for a graduate student in North Korean studies.

Later that year, I also went on academic fieldwork to northeastern China,