Former President Jimmy Carter Helps Free United States Citizen from North Korea

Throughout the years, there have been many American people jailed abroad for various crimes. When someone is jailed abroad, usually someone in the American government will try to negotiate to get the person released. Negotiating with a foreign country is not always easy or effective, but recently we have seen some good negotiations end happily.

According to NPR, Aijalon Gomes, a United States citizen imprisoned in North Korea for illegal entry, was released by authorities today. Former President Jimmy Carter negotiated his release and was waiting for him as he arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, by a private jet. Gomes was sentenced to eight years of hard labor for entering the country through China, for reasons that are unclear. Gomes appeared thin and tired as he boarded from the private jet, but seemed to be in good spirits as he greeted his awaiting family.

Carter's work for Gomes' release compares to when former President Bill Clinton won the release of two pardoned American journalists. According to Fox News, Clinton was in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong II to get a "special pardon" for the two reporters. The two American journalists were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor following them sneaking into the country illegally. Clinton was a key figure in the release of the two journalists although it is unclear what exactly he was negotiating for the two journalists. It was thought that Clinton was going to North Korea to engage in humanitarian efforts, but he ended up coming back with the two American journalists. The two American journalists appeared to be in good mental and physical condition when they returned, but they were happy to be reunited with family. Clinton has done a lot of negotiating with people like Jong in the past, so this trip was probably very easy for him.

American and North Korean relations will probably get better as time moves on from the Gomes incident. It seems like North Korea does not want to keep the American people who are sentenced to hard labor. I am not sure about what agreements and negotiations are being made for the release of the people they imprison, so it is unclear who has advantage. Given the Gomes situation and the prior incidents, it seems like North Korea and America are trying to get along. We realize that they will imprison our people for outlandish things, and they realize that we will negotiate to get them back. This might improve relations between the two, but there needs to be less of these situations moving forward. Carter and Clinton are very respectable people and do have a good sense of what it takes to negotiate with people who hold different political views. I think the release of Gomes will just make the communication between America and North Korea better.

Frank James, "Aijalon Gomes, Freed By N. Korea, In U.S. With Jimmy Carter", NPR

Jennifer Griffin and Associated Press, "Mission Accomplished: Clinton Leaves North Korea With Pardoned Journalists", Fox News