DPRK President Kim Il Sung (1912-94) is said to have met thousands of foreigners, but comparatively few Americans. Those Americans include:

Affiliation at time of meeting; year(s) met; (d) = deceased

After DPRK independence in September 1948:

• Harrison Salisbury, New York Times (interview with Kim), (article), 1972 (d)
• John M. Lee, New York Times, 1972 (d)
• Selig Harrison, Washington Post (article and interview with Kim), 1972, Carnegie Endowment, 1994 (d)
• Rep. Stephen Solarz, 1980, 1991 (d)
• Ralph Clough, SAIS, 1980, 1991 (d)
• Stanley O. Roth, House Foreign Affairs Committee, 1991 [Roth accompanied Solarz to Pyongyang; as Assistant Secretary of State for EAP, Roth also met Kim Jong Il in 2000]
• Rev. Billy Graham (with Dr. Stephen Linton and other members of the Graham delegations) 1992, 1994 (for Graham’s accounts of meeting Kim, see Ch. 34 in Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham) (d)
• Former Rep. Richard Ichord, American Freedom Coalition (AFC), 1992 (d)
• Former Rep. Bob Mathias, AFC, 1992 (d)
• Amb. John Holdridge, AFC, 1992 (d)
• Amb. Douglas MacArthur II (the General’s nephew and namesake), AFC, 1992 (d)
• Max Hugel, former Deputy Director, CIA; AFC, 1992 (d)
• [The AFC delegation that met Kim in May-June 1992 included approx. 40 participants, among them former U.S. congressmen, governors and other senior officials]
• Dr. Robert Grant, AFC, 1992
• Gary Jarmin, AFC, 1992
• Dr. Thomas J. Ward, AFC, 1992
• Larry R. Moffitt, AFC, 1992
• Dr. William J. Taylor, Jr., CSIS, 1992, 1994 (d)
• Josette Sheerhan, Washington Times, 1992 (article and interview with Kim), 1994 (written interview with Kim)
• Victoria Yokota, Washington Times, 1992
• Rep. Gary Ackerman, 1993
• [Ackerman was accompanied by two congressional staffers, and State’s Kenneth Quinones (see his report)]
• Dr. C. Kenneth Quinones, State Dept., 1993
• Eason Jordan, VP, CNN International, 1994 (twice in April and June)
• Mike Chinoy, CNN, 1992, 1994 (see Ch. 11 of China Live: People Power and the Television Revolution)
• Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt (USMC, Ret.), 1994
• Dr. Antonio Betancourt, Summit Council, 1992, 1994 (5 times total) (d)*
• Dr. William P. Selig, Summit Council, 1992 [also met Kim Jong Il]
• Dr. Mark P. Barry, Summit Council, 1994
• Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter (d), 1994
• Richard A. Christenson, State Dept., 1994
• Nancy Konigsmark, Carter Center, 1994 (d)
• Amb. Marion Creekmore, Carter Center, 1994

The above DPRK video includes Kim meeting Rev. Billy Graham, Selig Harrison and former President Jimmy Carter. Also, the international delegation I accompanied in April 1994 is shown around the 4:30 mark; I’m in the back row, third from the left, of the group shot (just like the header photo at top on the home page).

Before DPRK independence in September 1948 (thanks to Koryo Tours for this info):

• William R. Langdon, Political Counselor to Gen. John R. Hodge, USA, in Korea (October 1946)
• Major General Albert E. Brown, USA, Chief Commissioner, American delegation to the US-USSR Joint Commission, plus members of the U.S. delegation to Pyongyang (July 1947)

*=also attended Kim Il Sung’s funeral in July 1994, and twice met Kim Jong Il in 1992, 1994

→ Does not include the names of U.S. citizens who were likely part of CNN’s crews in its 1992 and 1994 visits in which they met Kim Il Sung, nor the name of one individual who met Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il while a Soviet diplomat. Also does not include the names of any Communist Party USA (AKFIC) members who may have met Kim (AKFIC at least got a written response to interview questions); CPUSA head Gus Hall once received a box of presents from Kim. Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver visited North Korea twice in 1969-70, but may not have met Kim himself despite his subsequent praise of the regime. For the names of several Korean-Americans who met Kim, likely among at least dozens, please confer Dr. Myers’ comments below.

→ Does not include any individual who met Kim Il Sung while a citizen (even a diplomat) solely of another country at the time, but who later became a U.S. citizen.♦

I was interviewed yesterday for Arirang News’ “On Point” segment on its morning news program, “New Day,” and discussed Kim Yo-jong’s KCNA statements regarding a prospective summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which now looks less likely. I also discussed the meetings with senior Chinese officials by Kim Song-nam, head of the KWP’s International Department, on the 75th anniversary of DPRK-China relations. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi went to Pyongyang and met Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il on September 17, 2002

I was interviewed yesterday on Arirang News’ flagship “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Strategy, to discuss North Korea’s latest developments, particularly its relations with Russia, China and the U.S. Many thanks to veteran anchor Han Da-eun for her incisive questions and moderating.

The full interview is below:

I was interviewed today on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame”discussion program particularly about two recent articles by DPRK analysts Robert Carlin and Dr. Siegfried Hecker, and Amb. Robert Gallucci, all of whom are apprehensive about North Korea’s intentions in 2024, including serious indications of it preparing for war.  I was joined by Dr. Kim Young-jun, Professor of International Politics, National Security College, Korea National Defense University (KNDU). Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her thoughtful questions and willingness to allow me to speak at greater length on the key question in this segment.

The full interview is below:

Photo at top: Kim Jong-un inspects the test-fire of a submarine-launched strategic cruise missile in North Korea in late January.

 

I was interviewed yesterday on Arirang News’ flagship “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun of The Asan Institute, to discuss North Korea’s  decision to no longer regard South Korea as part of a divided Korea with it shares the goal of reconciliation and unification, but simply as another state, with whom it is in an adversarial relationship. Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Kim Jong-un attends a meeting with a group of major commanding officers of the Korean People’s Army at the headquarters of the Korean Workers Party Central Committee in Pyongyang on Dec. 31, 2023.

I was interviewed yesterday for Arirang News’ “On Point” segment on its morning news program, “New Day,” and discussed the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee plenum, which was part-way through its annual end-of-year session. I also address recent unhelpful statements by the ROK that added fuel to the North’s bellicose rhetoric and needlessly increase tensions. We also discussed that Kim Jong Un will turn 40 next month and has now been in office for 12 years. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Kim Jong-un attends the second-day session of a year-end plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party in Pyongyang on Dec. 27, 2023.

I was interviewed yesterday for Arirang News’ “On Point” segment on its morning program, “New Day.” I discussed the trilateral meeting of the national security advisors of the U.S., ROK and Japan held in Seoul on Saturday. We also discussed White House Asia czar Kurt Campbell’s comments on North Korea during his Senate testimony, and whether Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Ju-ae, is being groomed for succession. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: White House Indo-Pacific policy advisor, Kurt Campbell, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on his nomination to become Deputy Secretary of State, Dec. 7, 2023. Below are Campbell’s remarks on North Korea during the Q&A session:

 

I was interviewed today on Arirang News’ flagship “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun of The Asan Institute, to discuss North Korea’s first successful military satellite launch and the breakdown of the Sept. 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, both of which have raised regional tensions. Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Kim Jong-un and daughter Ju-Ae attend a banquet in Pyongyang last week to celebrate the launch of the Malligyong-1 spy satellite.

I was interviewed today on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun of The Asan Institute, to discuss last week’s visit to Pyongyang by Russian foreign minister Lavrov, the possibility of President Putin visiting North Korea, and the impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Riyadh on Oct. 22, 2023.

I was interviewed today for Arirang News’s “On Point” segment on its morning news program, “New Day.” Questions related to the overall impact of Hamas’s devastating attack on Israel for the Korean Peninsula, as well as evaluating the wisdom and likely impact on security and stability if South Korea unilaterally suspended or abrogated its 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement with the North. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for her questions.