hankyoreh

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

After deliberations with US government officials about the possibility of visiting North Korea, former US president Jimmy Carter said on July 23 that he has no immediate plans to go to the North.

“Carter and other former heads of state who are members of The Elders met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on July 22,” said Carter’s spokesperson Deanna Congileo, in response to an inquiry by a Hankyoreh reporter about whether Carter would be traveling to Pyongyang. “They have no immediate plans to visit North Korea.”

“The members of The Elders visited the Korean peninsula in April 2011, and since then have been working to bring about reconciliation on the peninsula,” the spokesperson added, suggesting that Carter had floated the idea of a visit to the North.

Considering that Carter has said in the past that he would visit North Korea if invited, the assumption is that the US government prevented him from going.

Carter said recently that if he were to go to North Korea, he would need an invitation from North Korea and the approval of the US government.

When Congileo was asked if the US government prevented Carter from going to the North, she indicated that she had no further comments to make.

Nevertheless, since Carter said that he has no “immediate” plans to visit North Korea, it can be assumed that he will travel to the country when conditions are right.

According to sources, Carter thinks that he must bring back some kind of results if he visits the North.

“It is my understanding that Pyongyang invited Carter to visit North Korea, but that he has not been able to decide the timing of the visit,” said Park Han-shik, a professor at the University of Georgia who is close to the former president. “A number of factors are involved in deciding on a trip to the North.”

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