ABSTRACT
South Koreans began to think of the relationship between inter-Korean relations and the Republic of Korea (ROK)-United States (U.S) relations. This means that South Koreans have begun to think of the relationship between "brothers" and "friends". The "normalization" process of the triangular relationship between North and South Korea and the US mean the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean peninsula. The US policy toward the Korean Peninsula in general and North Korea in particular is part of a larger framework of global and Korean strategic interests. The inter-Korean summit meeting in June of 2000, the two Koreas appeared to be competing against each other to form a coalition with the United States. The Bush administration had been demanding that North Korea comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreement and accept "special inspection". The US recognizes that South Korea-US relations focus on how to manage the "success" rather than failure of any rapprochement in inter-Korean relations.
