Former Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil met with Tulsi Gabbard at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), a close aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, and others, exchanged views on pending issues including the Middle East war, and returned home. Regarding the by-election scheduled for June, in which he is expected to run, he said he would follow the party's decision.
Song said around 5:50 p.m. on the 20th at Incheon International Airport, "I made an unofficial trip to the United States on my personal expense, flying economy with one secretary."
Before returning, Song disclosed on Facebook the senior officials and politicians he had met during his U.S. visit. Those he met included Gabbard, the DNI chief; Andrew Kim, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Korea Mission Center chief; 15-term senior lawmaker Brad Sherman of the House; and Edison McDowell, a federal representative and President Trump's golf partner.
Among them, Gabbard, as head of the DNI overseeing 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, is considered a key aide to President Trump. Andrew Kim, regarded as a closest aide to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has visited North Korea six times and has a deep understanding of North Korea policy.
Song said, "I have a connection because I translated and published Director General Gabbard's book while I was in prison, and I also met U.S. senators and representatives from both parties to gauge the mood," adding, "It can be described as an advance trip to prepare for official meetings when I return to the National Assembly."
He added, "Representative Brad Sherman is in his 15th term and works closely with the CIA, and it helped greatly that former President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law itself was deemed unjust and that they supported democratic institutions," and "Representative Edison McDowell is close to Vice President Vance, and it helped us grasp the trend on how to assess the U.S.-Iran war and how they view the midterm elections."
Song also said, "I met officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Department of State and discussed an exemption under the Jones Act (a law restricting the transport of goods between U.S. ports to U.S. vessels only) for Hwa shipyard," adding, "We also discussed the possibility of importing Russian crude oil and naphtha via Sakhalin, Russia, without passing through the Strait of Hormuz."
On a possible by-election bid, Song said, "I have not communicated directly with Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae but am hearing indirectly," adding, "I live in Gyeyang-gu, my political home, but I have said I will accept what the party decides," and, "Now that full-fledged discussions on the by-election will begin, I expect they will call me."