Some opposition politicians are already treating 76-year-old Kim, who must step down in early 2003, as a lame duck. So far, the criticisms (and a plunge in popularity ratings from 83 percent last June to 46 percent in February) haven’t shaken the president’s faith in the correctness of his policies. But even his political allies acknowledge that the sunshine policy is losing steam and, in the words of one, “will be hard to sustain unless North Korea does something drastic.”

Many expect that Kim, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts, will be the one to make the dramatic move in order to preserve his legacy as the man who brought the two Koreas together. “His vision drives him,” says a Western diplomat in Seoul. “He’s living in the pages of history.” Last week Kim welcomed NEWSWEEK’s Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Richard M. Smith to the Blue House in Seoul to discuss his predicament. Excerpts:

KIM: I don’t think there is any difference in opinion as far as our appreciation of the positive developments between South and North Korea. The U.S. administration wonders whether we can trust Chairman Kim and demands reciprocity and verification for agreements made with him. My response to those doubts is that we should continue to engage North Korea in dialogue not because we trust the North, but because we see in their current situation room for us to induce them to follow the road of positive change.

To address your second question, I am not eager for achievements at this point. I believe I already have made my mark in terms of South-North relations. The sheer fact that I opened serious dialogue between the two Koreas after 50 years of confrontation is already a great achievement.

The point that we have given too much to the North is not true. At the summit, the North agreed that U.S. troops should stay in South Korea not just for now, but even after unification. Secondly, they had demanded a U.S.-style federation system. I pointed out to Chairman Kim that a more realistic and achievable formula would be a confederation in which two independent governments consult each other as needs arise and implement agreements that are reached by both sides. After the explanation, the chairman called for a looser form of federation that more closely resembles our idea.

It is not true the North hasn’t done anything. They have agreed not to use force to resolve issues on the Korea Peninsula. We agreed to reconnect the inter-Korean railway, and the construction work has already begun. We agreed to establish an industrial complex in Kaesong, just north of the DMZ, and many Korean companies have already committed to setting up production facilities there. And we agreed to reunite separated families and open up routine channels of communication between these people.

But the North has halted these types of things since the arrival of the Bush administration. We believe future inter-Korean relations will depend very much on how the U.S. sets its North Korean policy and how its relations with Pyongyang develop. South-North relations are very much related to North Korea-U.S. relations.

It is too early to say. The Bush administration is still being formed, and it will take two or three months for the U.S. to set its North Korean policy. We will have to wait and see.

We cannot say it has been satisfactory. But we can say that the North has to open up in order to get cooperation from the U.S. or South Korea. They are a difficult partner to have a dialogue with. But the North’s economic reality forces it to talk to us.

No one can be magnanimous about declining popularity. But support for my North Korean policy is still high. All opinion polls show more than 70 percent of the people support the sunshine policy and more than 90 percent welcome Chairman Kim’s return visit to Seoul. The problems are partly due to the economy. And people have lost trust in politics. As head of the ruling party, I cannot escape responsibility.

I have also received such reports, but there are many different views on that. Since the June 15 declaration, the North has not made any broadcasts against the South. Nor have there been any military provocations. Although there has not been remarkable progress, the military atmosphere is somewhat calmer.

Northern leaders, including Chairman Kim, repeatedly promise the return visit. We believe he will visit Seoul within this year. But the variable is North Korea-U.S. relations, and that remains uncertain.

If the United States and North Korea resume talks and begin negotiations on missiles and other issues, Kim’s visit will be more certain.