Raw: Richardson, Top Google Exec. in NKorea

Bill Richardson, ex-governor of New Mexico, and Eric Schmidt, the Executive chairman of Google, made a controversial private visit to North Korea on Monday. It was an attempt on their part to secure the discharge of Kenneth Bae, the Korean-American prisoner.

The mission actually emerged when North Korea had made an extensive rocket test in the previous month. North Korea has often carried out their nuclear testing services. According to satellite images, the rocket testing was possibly paving the systems for the trial of third nuclear bomb.

North Korean State Television televised footage where Schmidt and Richardson were seen at the Pyongyang airport on the evening of Monday. According to Richardson, it was a plain private visit and they were going to inquire about the American who has been kept in prison. The assignment consists of Richardson, Schmidt, Schmidt’s daughter, and a Google executive Jared Cohen. South Korean News Media has confirmed their arrival at Pyongyang airport. They went there by a flight from Beijing, the Chinese capital.

White House has disparaged the mission for the odd timing. The United States does not bear any political relation with North Korea. Theoretically, this isolated and indigent country has been involved in a constant war with South Korea. According to the Obama govt.’s point of view, the timing of the trip was particularly awful. They thought it awful because the assignment emerged at a time when the U.N. Security Council had started considering how to react to North Korea’s missile launch on 12 December. Spoke with the condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said that they were passing a critical stage of their relationship with North Korea.

Generally, the missile launch of North Korea is pursued by nuclear test. For this reason, Western countries along with N. Korea’s neighboring countries are concerned about the rocket launch in December.

Schmidt’s involvement in this assignment remains unclear and he refused to comment over this issue.

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