State Department Noon Briefing

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2001 - 12:40 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

Q: Do you anything on last Friday's contact with North Korean
delegation here?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't. I'm trying to think of which delegation.
That's the economic delegation that came?

Q: Yes, economic delegation.

MR. BOUCHER: I'll double-check and see if we have anything on that. I
don't have anything today for you.

....

Q: Back to North Korea. Have you seen these the reports that the
International Travel Company of North Korea is welcoming all visitors
except Americans?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I haven't.

Q: It's true. "Everybody is welcome except you." He pointed at
Americans and said, "You guys aren't welcome yet." You haven't seen
it?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I haven't.

Q: On the same thing, is North Korea now a rogue state again?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not here to play semantics. I don't know.

Q: No, but - okay, but do rogue states now exist?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know. Simple answer. Profound question, profound
answer. We will get to them someday.

Q: Are you in contact at all with the South Korean Government to help
work, I guess, with this high-level defector, who would like to
testify at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee?

MR. BOUCHER: That is a profound question with a not-profound answer. I
don't know. We wouldn't talk about it if we were.