The former prime minister of South Korea, Jong Pil Kim, met with Gov. Norm Bangerter at the start of a visit to the state to receive an honorary degree from Utah State University.
The two leaders first became acquainted last fall, when the governor led a delegation of Utah business representatives to Seoul, South Korea, as part of an overseas trade mission.The discussion during the former prime minister's stop at the governor's office on Tuesday morning was limited by language barriers, although they did talk briefly about politics.
Kim, who served as prime minister from 1971 to 1975, continues to be active in South Korean politics as co-chairman of that country's Democratic Liberal Party.
"Emotionally, we Koreans are Republicans," Kim told the governor through a translator, later adding that Koreans "feel in our hearts much closer to the States" than to nearby China.
Kim's son, Jin, is a graduate student in sociology at USU. The former prime minister will receive an honorary doctorate degree in political science during commencement exercises on Saturday.
The 65-year-old Kim entered politics after a long military career, retiring as a South Korean brigadier general in 1962. He won a Bronze Star from the United States in 1954 and has similar medals from Japan, Paraguay and Argentina.