Moreover, the Obama administration faces serious political constraints in its own outreach to the North in the aftermath of North Korea's satellite launch, and is under Congressional pressure to adopt policies that have the potential for escalating confrontation. For this reason, a South Korean initiative to further test North Korea's willingness to return to dialogue and the path of denuclearization would be welcome, especially given that a stable inter-Korean relationship is a prerequisite for any serious diplomatic effort to integrate North Korea into the region or otherwise ease regional tensions. A South Korean initiative could receive the Obama administration's support while entailing no direct political risk. Moreover, South Korea's divided political environment establishes an important rationale for supporting South Korean efforts at détente with the North, since any harder line policy would likely face serious domestic opposition without a renewed good faith South Korean effort to establish inter-Korean dialogue and peaceful coexistence.