To be sure, as North Korea seemingly snubbed the international community in recent years, there was considerable popular discontent with the previous two administrations’ “sunshine” policy, which emphasized peaceful cooperation prior to eventual Korean unification. But now, with the North’s destruction of key elements of its nuclear program, international negotiations appear to be bearing fruit, and Lee’s tougher stance has gained less approval than might have been anticipated when he came to office.
固然，因为最近几年北朝鲜公然漠视国际社会的态度，韩国民众对前两届政府的“阳光”政策——强调在朝鲜最终统一之前的和平合作——有许多的不满。但是现在，随着北朝鲜销毁了其核项目的主要设施，国际谈判似乎起作用了，对李明博对北朝鲜采取强硬态度的支持率比他在就职的时候预期得要低。