Blockaded in New York

At the same time that the State Department sent its representatives to Beijing recently to discuss future talks with North Korea, it denied a North Korean official permission to speak at Harvard. Pak Gil Yon, North Korea’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was tentatively scheduled to speak Nov. 22 at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) about “challenges in the region,” according to KSG spokeswoman Melodie L. Jackson. But the State Department undermined the public discourse and understanding of an important current issue—North Korea’s nuclear ambitions—by denying Pak permission to visit.

As an ambassador to the UN, Pak may reside in New York City, but as a citizen of North Korea, which lacks diplomatic relations with the U.S., he requires State Department permission to travel beyond a 25-mile radius of the city. During his time as ambassador, Pak has traveled outside New York—to Washington, D.C., for example—to visit Capitol Hill. But the State Department should have realized the importance of his viewpoint and issued him a visa to speak at Harvard.

The measure of a speaker’s merit is not the content of the ideas he or she represents. Instead, it is the importance of those ideas in the world today. Pak may represent opinions different from the majority of Americans, but that does not lessen his merit as a speaker. To cite a recent example, no one would argue that Harvard, as an institution, supports the politics of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, but Harvard was still right to invite Khatami to speak three months ago. His visit generated controversy, but it also deepened the debate on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. A university, as a center of open discourse, is uniquely positioned to improve the quality of relevant debates.

As one-third of the so-called “axis of evil” and as the focus of an intense and divided nuclear debate, North Korea is at the forefront of global politics today. In late November, American diplomats traveled to China to meet with North Korean officials, and international talks about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program are expected to resume shortly. The ambassador’s viewpoint, therefore, would be a fascinating and relevant perspective for both the University and geopolitical communities to understand, and the Kennedy School should be lauded for trying to bring Pak to speak. The State Department must recognize the value of open debate on important issues and should allow Pak the freedom to travel in order to present an opposing viewpoint.