In the US, North Korea is seen mostly through the prism of nuclear non-proliferation, and the new administration is wary of being tricked into giving its rulers anything without getting fissile material in return. In South Korea, President Lee Myung-bak’s political base wants to roll back, not reinvigorate, the Sunshine Policy, and there is a widespread (though by no means universal) weariness with engagement.
不过在朝鲜之外，建设性经济接触的前景并不被人看好。在美国，大部分人是透过核不扩散这一棱镜来看待朝鲜，而其新一届政府也在谨防受骗：担心朝鲜统治者获得了来自美方的好处，却未在核裂变材料方面作出相应的让步；在韩国，李明博总统的政治基础也意在弱化阳光政策，而非反其道而行之，同时韩国国内对于经济接触政策也存在着广泛的疲劳感（尽管这种感觉绝非普遍存在）。