I am in Shenyang tonight. Gave a lecture to 700 students and faculty at Liaoning University here today. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the university celebration, which is appropriate since I just had the 60th anniversary of my personal founding last month.
After the conference I had dinner with some great State Dept. guys here. They told me a wonderful story about some North Koreans I’d like to pass along to you. Next week I am going to North Korea myself–tell you all about it when I return.
Year before last a group of North Korean people sneaked across the border by swimming across the Yalu River at night. The next day they showed up at the South Korean Embassy in Shenyang asking for political asylum. While the South Koreans were talking it over the North Koreans went outside and climbed over the wall to gain entry to the US Consulate which is just next door. Now what?
The US guys allowed them to stay at the Consulate while our government tried to figure out how to handle it. They ended up living in the cafeteria for more than a year. During this time two of the people, a 21 year old boy and a 23 year old girl, fell in love. Finally, the US government made an arrangement with the Chinese government to fly them all to the US as political refugees. The 2 sweethearts wanted to go together so my friend Bill found a host family in Louisville, Kentucky who would take them both in.
They are still in Louisville today. They are still in love.
Maybe there is hope for the world after all.
JR
