South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s Memoir Falsely Claims She Met Kim Jon Un In New Memoir

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) upcoming memoir, No Going Back, has generated considerable controversy before its release on May 7. 

Alongside the public outcry at Noem’s written recollection of when she euthanized her dog, questions have been raised about Noem’s claim to have met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while she served in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee.

In her book, Noem wrote, “Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee, I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.” 

As the independent newspaper The Dakota Scout reports, congressional travel documents and reliable external sources do not provide proof of these claims.

Noem continued in her book, “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). Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation and determination. My experiences on those many foreign trips made me a better member of Congress and a stronger governor. It allowed me to hone my deal-making skills, which play a crucial role in leadership.”

Records indicate that Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee from 2013 to 2015 and visited China in 2014. 

The Scout reports no evidence of Kim’s presence in China during that period. North Korea expert George Lopez, a University of Notre Dame professor, told the paper that Kim did not leave North Korea between 2011 and 2018.

In addition to her alleged encounter with Un, Noem claimed in her book that she had a meeting scheduled with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2023, which was subsequently canceled. However, The Scout confirmed with Macron’s office that Noem did not receive a direct invitation from the French president. Noem was in Paris for a political conference and spoke on November 10, the same day Macron called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Efforts to address the controversy around her memoir come in the wake of Noem’s attempt to explain the euthanization of her family’s 14-month-old “working dog,” Cricket, in a recent appearance on Fox News. 

In her memoir, she wrote that she killed the animal after the dog ruined a pheasant hunt when it chased the birds and then “massacred” a neighbor’s chickens. Noem attributed the media’s attention and criticism to “fake news” tactics and claimed that the incident had been distorted and sensationalized.

Last month, Noem was banned by four Native American tribes for her comments connecting tribal leadership to Mexican cartels.