Lateefah Simon: “let me comment also on the North Korean situation. When Senator Murkowski and I were in North Korea in December, we…”

“let me comment also on the North Korean situation. When Senator Murkowski and I were in North Korea in December, we landed with the first official American plane to land in North Korea since the Korean war. It is important that both the United States and North Korea live up to our agreements. The situation in Korea is the most volatile anywhere in the world where there are American troops. We have 36,000 to 37,000 American troops just south of the border in Korea. You have about 1 million troops in total facing each other with no communication. Even in the situation with Pakistan and India, there is communication between the two Governments. There is no communication between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea is unlike any other government on the face of the Earth right now. It is a very tightly controlled dictatorship. The radio stations only have one station. The television stations only have one station. It is like Albania must have been back in the old days of communism. I think it is important that the United States assist--while making clear to South Korea that we are going to be loyal to our friends there--in communication between the two countries. Thanks to President Carter, a meeting had been set up between the President of South Korea and Kim Il-song, the leader of North Korea. Then he died fairly suddenly back in July of last year, and that did not happen.”