Kun A. “Tony” Namkung was described recently by the Christian Science Monitor as a “mysterious Korean-American" who "plays a behind-the-scenes role that may be more significant than that of the better known actors in the drama.”
Indeed, as a back-channel, so-called “Track II” negotiator who advises senior U.S. delegations on North Korean affairs, Namkung, a longtime confidant of former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, has been a central figure in a host of dramatic episodes, including helping to secure the release of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, imprisoned by North Korea for “illegal entry” in 2009.
Kun A. “Tony” Namkung was described recently by the Christian Science Monitor as a “mysterious Korean-American" who "plays a behind-the-scenes role that may be more significant than that of the better known actors in the drama.”
Indeed, as a back-channel, so-called “Track II” negotiator who advises senior U.S. delegations on North Korean affairs, Namkung, a longtime confidant of former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, has been a central figure in a host of dramatic episodes, including helping to secure the release of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, imprisoned by North Korea for “illegal entry” in 2009.
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