While he was Director of the Center for Pacific Asia Studies at Stockholm University, George had an early opportunity to visit North Korea in 1971. Sweden had officially established relations with Korea long before Korea was invaded by Japan. Because Sweden was not involved in WW II, the Swedish embassy was able to remain there during the Japanese and Russian occupations and even after their withdrawal, and has remained there ever since.
When the war ended, the Americans set up a pro-American government in South Korea, under Syngman Rhee, as President, who had been living in Princeton, where, by chance, George had come to know him rather well. When George was living in Sweden in 1971, both his American and even his South Korean friends, urged him to go to visit Pyongyang. When he first arrived at the airport in the summer, the Korean official who examined his passport was taken aback, because it was the first American passport he had ever seen! George stayed there a very short time by himself and then returned to Stockholm and brought Lilia back with him to Pyongyang for a second visit.
In North Korea, George and Lilia were treated very nicely. A young couple was assigned to escort them around; they had served as diplomats in China and spoke Chinese fluently. Since George and Lilia invited them to dinner, they reciprocated by inviting George and Lilia to one of the Chinese restaurants in Pyongyang. It was spring and the cherry blossoms were out; they loved their stay. From North Korea, they flew south to Seoul, where they saw the same kind of cherry blossoms (which were also the same as the blossoms at the house where he was born - in Washington, D.C.!). George had not tried to meet any North Korean officials.
In 1995 George invited Kim Dae-Jung, an aspirant to the presidency of South Korea who called for reunification, to give a speech at USC. This turned out to be of some help to him in being elected President of South Korea, 1998-2003. During his presidency he made a surprising visit to North Korea, June 13-15, 2000.
Although President Kim did not make much headway on reunification and was not reelected, he was nevertheless awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his try. George and his wife Lilia had dinner with him and his wife after he received the prize in Oslo. George then accompanied him to Sweden where he gave a talk in the former House of Nobles (where his mother’s family coat of arms still hangs). This talk had been arranged by a former Swedish student of George, who was later appointed ambassador to South Korea. Although George was very happy that Kim Dae-Jung was awarded the Peace Prize, he was sad that his earlier two nominations of Helen Foster Snow for this same Nobel Peace Prize had been unsuccessful.