HONOLULU -- The scheduled appearance of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Jiang Zemin alongside South Korean President Kim Dae Jung at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul later this month symbolizes much more than mere cooperation on the field of athletic competition; it also underscores Seoul's unique role as a bridge between Tokyo and Beijing and the importance the Kim regime has rightly placed in maintaining good relations with both its giant neighbors.

Closer cooperation among the three, who collectively form the Northeast Asian leg of the ASEAN Plus Three forum, serves the economic, political, and security interests of the broader Asia-Pacific region and of the United States as well. To his credit, building stronger relations with South Korea's two giant neighbors, and with the U.S. and Russia as well, has been one of the primary foreign-policy goals of the Kim administration. One would assume that future South Korean leaders will see the wisdom in continuing this enlightened policy.

Shortly after coming to power, Kim outlined two major pillars of his administration's foreign policy, above and beyond his "sunshine policy" of outreach toward North Korea: namely, to preserve and maintain alliance ties and close cooperation with the U.S. and to elicit positive cooperation with the four major powers -- the U.S., Japan, China, and Russia. By his actions, it is clear that Kim subsequently added Europe to this mix, witness his hosting of the Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit and his encouragement of greater European involvement in Peninsula affairs.