Kristi Noem Doubles Down on Claim She Visited North Korea

Governor Noem of South Dakota, often mentioned as a top candidate for vice president on President Trump’s 2024 ticket, on Sunday refused to back down from a claim in her upcoming book that she once met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.On a Sunday talk show, Mrs. Noem was asked about the claim that she went to North Korea, to which the governor said she has visited the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea.“Yes, I have. I’ve been there,” she said. “I went to the DMZ. And there are details in this book that talk about going to the DMZ and specifics that I’m willing to share.”At the DMZ, there are buildings used for meeting between the two sides. From first-hand knowledge, some of the buildings are taped off in the middle — half in North Korea, half in South Korea — so it is technically possible to enter the Hermit Kingdom simply by being inside a building.But actual visits to North Korea by American politicians to North Korea remain exceedingly rare due to the country’s international standing and human rights record. In 2019, Mr. Trump crossed over into North Korean territory from the DMZ, marking him as the first sitting U.S. president to step into the nation.During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” moderator Margaret Brennan questioned Mrs. Noem about her claims of visiting North Korea.“You did not meet with Kim Jong Un,” Ms. Brennan said. Mrs. Noem did not answer directly, saying: “No, I’ve met with many, many world leaders, many world leaders.”“I’m not going to talk about my specific meetings with world leaders. I’m just not going to do that,” Noem added. “This anecdote shouldn’t have been in the book and as soon as it was brought to my attention, I made sure that — that was adjusted.”In her upcoming book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” Mrs. Noem claimed she personally met the dictator.“I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un,” she wrote. “I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”Mrs. Noem deployed a spokesman to say that there had been “two small errors” in the book, set for release on Tuesday, that were then communicated to the “ghostwriter and editor” and fixed.

Kristi Noem Doubles Down on Claim She Visited North Korea

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