Kristi Noem Says She's Never Met Kim Jong Un—Correcting False ...

3 May 2024

Forbes

Topline

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's office confirmed Friday she has not met with illusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, despite a reported excerpt from her book saying otherwise—the latest eyebrow-raising claim in the Republican governor's memoir, in which Noem discusses shooting her dog and allegedly getting threats from Nikki Haley.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on ... [+] March 16, 2024.

AFP via Getty Images Key Facts

The Dakota Scout, a small independent newspaper in her home state, wrote Thursday that Noem’s memoir “No Going Back,” set to be released May 7, said she met with Kim during her time on the House Armed Services Committee, before she became governor of South Dakota and was viewed as a potential Trump running mate.

The excerpt published by the Dakota Scout didn’t go into detail on what the pair had allegedly talked about, but wrote, "I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all),” adding that “dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation and determination."

In a statement to Forbes Friday afternoon, Noem's chief of communications Ian Fury called the claim a "small error" and said "Kim Jong Un was included in a list of world leaders and shouldn’t have been."

He said the mistake has been "communicated to the ghostwriter and editor," and that all future editions of the book will be corrected.

Several North Korea experts have weighed in on how unlikely it is that a small-time representative had met with the dictator, who rarely leaves the country of North Korea or speaks with outside leaders, let alone singular representatives: "I don’t see any conceivable way that a single junior member of Congress, without explicit escort from the U.S. State Department and military, would be meeting with a leader from North Korea,” University of Notre Dame professor George Lopez told the Independent.

Fury said another talked-about claim in the book, in which Noem said former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley "threatened" her in a 2021 conversation, also contained an error—the conversation actually happened in 2020, he said.

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Crucial Quote

“The media will, of course, try and make these tiny issues huge but will continue to downplay Joe Biden’s repeated and false claims he was in jail with Nelson Mandela, started the civil rights movement, drove an 18 wheeler and his uncle was eaten by cannibals,” Fury said in his statement.

Key Background

Noem’s book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” has been in the news in recent days due to a highly criticized excerpt in which she talks about killing one of her dogs. Noem wrote she shot her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket because the dog had an "aggressive personality" and was difficult to train. She reportedly uses the story to talk about her willingness "to do anything “difficult, messy and ugly." She also wrote about shooting a "nasty and mean" goat her family owned. She said the goat survived the first shot and she had to run back to her truck to get a second shell before returning to "put him down." Noem was immediately hit with backlash for the story about her dog and later called reports "fake news" while also defending the decision, saying the dog needed to be killed because it was "extremely dangerous."

What To Watch For

Noem has been widely viewed as a possible running mate for former President Donald Trump this year—but some observers think the dog excerpt could hurt her chances.

Tangent

A conversation between Noem and Haley recounted in "No Going Back," as quoted by Politico, has also gotten some attention. Noem says Haley offered to mentor her, but allegedly went on to say, “I’ve heard a lot of really good things about you. But I also want you to know that if I hear something bad … I will be sure to let you know.’" Noem said she took the conversation as a threat, and said Haley had "wanted me to know that there was only room for one Republican woman in the spotlight. It was weird." Chaney Denton, a spokesperson for Haley, told Politico his boss "has long called and written notes supporting other women when they go through challenging times" and that she was reaching out to Noem to encourage her amid criticism of her handling of Covid-19. "How she would twist that into a threat is just plain weird," she said.