I knew nothing about Tong Kim – to include whether he was working for the US or for the Koreans. At first I thought he was working for the Koreans because one time this ROK LTC came up to him and barked an order at him in ban-mal, saying something like, "Hey Kim – get over there and interpret for them" (Kim – cho-gi bal-li ka-su tong-nyuk hae-ra). This ROK officer didn't use any title at all – just called him "Kim" like he was a buck Private in the ROK military.

To say I was impressed with his interpreting skills would be an understatement. I remember he interpreted this long and detailed presentation given by US officers to the Korean officers. The US officers spoke at normal speed – and Kim wrote notes (at break neck speed) and every minute or so translated back what the US officers were saying. I happened to have a copy of the briefing slides and followed along as Kim translated and he did an absolutely amazing job – literally nailing even the tiniest of details. Afterwards, I asked him if he’d had a chance to look over the presentation ahead of time – and he said no – he was hearing it for the first time as they spoke.

While waiting for the generals to finish breakfast at the Commanding General’s house one morning, I started chatting with Kim. It was just small talk…where do you live, who do work for, etc. He said he lives in DC and works at the State Dept. I then asked how often did he travel back to Korea. His reply: pretty much any time the President or Secretary of State goes to Korea, he goes with them to interpret. It was at that point that I realized he wasn’t just any ol’ interpreter – he was THE interpreter.

Interestingly enough, when that ROK officer barked that order at him and spoke down to him, Kim didn’t seem the least bit bothered or slighted.

Here’s a bio on him: http://www.icasinc.org/bios/kim_tong.html

Oh, really. And what exactly is the United States going to do to stop them from becoming a nuclear state? They already have six nukes, right? President Obama and Hillary Clinton are a dream come true for Kim Jong-Il. It would almost be comical if it were not so dangerous for those of us who live in Korea.