White House Sends Democrat Richardson to North Korea

ABC News’ Tahman Bradley Reports: The White House has signed up veteran Democratic diplomat and 2008 presidential hopeful Gov. Bill Richardson D-N.M., to lead a mission to North Korea.

The White House announced Tuesday that Richardson, along with former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, will travel to North Korea next week to facilitate the return of the remains of missing U.S. servicemen. 

Governor Richardson is "pleased to jointly head, along with former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, lead a bipartisan delegation of Americans to facilitate the release of remains of US serviceman," said Gilbert Gallego, a Richardson spokesman. 

"Hopefully this trip will advance the progress made by the Bush Administration during the six-party talks to dismantle nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula."

The trip gives Richardson a chance to showcase his foreign policy credentials as the race for the Democratic nomination presses on.

Richardson served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton. 

The governor likes to tell audiences that President Clinton use to say to him that, "bad guys like Richardson, so we’ll send him to deal with them."