Richardson Hails Warmer Signals From North Korea

UN ambassadors get special permission to leave New York

(NEWSER) - Two North Korean diplomats at the UN are traveling to Santa Fe to meet with Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador, reports CNN. The meeting is taking place at Pyongyang's request, according to the governor's office, and will focus on clean energy technology. Richardson has visited North Korea several times, most recently in 2007 to reclaim the remains of Korean War veterans. More»

Reporters granted rare visit with Richardson

(NEWSER) - North Korea has a deadline: For years, it's promised that an age of prosperity will begin in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-Sung's birth. With 18 months to go, two journalists accompanying Bill Richardson on an unprecedented trip to North Korea found that the government will be hard-pressed to achieve that goal, though its desire to do so may be behind a few recent conciliatory measures undertaken by Pyongyang. Sharon LaFraniere reports on her trip to the Dear Leader's domain in the New York Times . More»

Pyongyang keeps sending us the same message

(NEWSER) - Time after time, North Korea has relayed the same message: if the US will hold direct talks with Pyongyang, North Korea is “ready to conclude an agreement to end its nuclear programs, put them all under IAEA inspection and conclude a permanent peace treaty,” writes Jimmy Carter in the Washington Post . It’s time to consider taking them up on their request. More»

(AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former members of his administration will not face charges in a yearlong pay-to-play investigation, a source tells the AP. A federal grand jury has been probing whether lucrative work on state bond deals was improperly awarded to a Richardson donor—derailing his nomination as Commerce secretary in the Obama administration. Top Justice Department officials made the call, says an insider: "It's over. There's nothing. It was killed in Washington." More»

Prepare to be followed by officials everywhere you turn

(NEWSER) - You don’t have to be an ex-president to visit North Korea: In fact, your average “private citizen” can make the trip, if he or she doesn't mind a few inconveniences, writes Christopher Beam for Slate. To head to Pyongyang, apply for a visa via North Korea’s UN rep or take the “far easier” approach—use the single approved American travel company. To take that route, you submit an application; if you list "journalist" as your profession, forget about gaining entry. More»