The Power of an Expression of Sympathy

Dee Dee Myers, press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, was interviewed in 2009 - right around the time two American journalists entered North Korean territory and had been held captive for 5 months. One of the questions asked by the reporter was why Clinton was chosen to go on the mission to negotiate for the release of these two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

Turns out that Bill Clinton had emerged as the top choice of the North Koreans because, when he was President, Clinton had sent Kim Jong-il of North Korea a letter of condolence on the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994 - 15 years ago.

Apparently, Kim Jong-il felt that freeing the two journalists was a "reciprocal humanitarian gesture" that he would agree to, since Bill Clinton had shown him such respect when his father died, even though there were no official diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea.

How amazing that a simple note of condolence could have that kind of impact, years later.