Richardson To Go To North Korea

This from the New York Times is interesting. Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico is going to travel to North Korea:

Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a United Nations ambassador in the Clinton administration who has long maintained contacts with North Korea, will travel next week to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, for talks aimed at persuading the North to give up its nuclear arms program, Mr. Richardson’s office and the Bush administration said Thursday.

Mr. Richardson, a prominent Democrat, said that he would not represent the United States as an official negotiator but that his trip was intended “to move the diplomatic process forward,” following an agreement in principle reached last month in the six-nation talks involving North Korea and the United States and its partners, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China.

Why do the North Koreans like Gov. Richardson so much? If he can keep the diplomatic process moving forward then so be it, but I won’t get my hopes up. By the way I like how the NY Times article’s headline is US Democrat Goes to North Korea instead of New Mexico Governor Goes to North Korea.