American teen dabbles in Korean diplomacy

BEIJING – A 13-year-old American plans to visit North Korea this week and perhaps meet leader Kim Jong Il to pitch his idea for a “children’s peace forest” in the demilitarized zone.

Jonathan Lee, who was born in South Korea and lives in Mississippi, is scheduled to fly to Pyongyang today from Beijing with his parents, the family told the Associated Press. They said North Korean officials in Beijing gave them visas Wednesday night.

Jonathan said he expects to meet with North Korean officials and will propose the children’s peace forest, “one in which fruit and chestnut trees would be planted and where children can play.”

The DMZ that has separated North and South Korea for more than a half-century is one of the most heavily guarded areas in the world. Combat-ready troops stand guard on both sides, and the land is strewn with land mines and laced with barbed wire.

“We know, it sounds crazy,” said Lee’s mother, Melissa. “When he first said, ‘I think we need to go to North Korea,’ I looked at my husband and said, ‘What?’ It was a radical idea.”

The United States does not have diplomatic relations with the North and it and the international community have imposed strict economic sanctions over the regime’s nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. State Department cautions on its website that foreigners visiting North Korea may be arrested or expelled for engaging in unsanctioned religious or political activity and for unauthorized travel or interaction with locals.

The idea for the visit to the North startled Jonathan’s father, Kyoung Lee, who was born and raised in South Korea and now lives with his family in Ridgeland, Miss.

“When growing up, I was always taught, don’t talk to or associate with any North Korean people, so this is kind of shocking for me that my son wants to go in,” Kyoung Lee said.