Larry King wants to interview North Korean leader Kim Jong-il

Larry King speaks at the Seoul Digital Forum in Seoul, South Korea on May 25, 2011. [Seoul Digital Forum]

U.S. TV personality Larry King has said the one Korean he would want to interview is North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

King made the remark at the Seoul Digital Forum (SDF) ongoing in the capital of South Korea on Wednesday in response to a question on who he would interview if he had to choose a single person on the Korean peninsula.

"It would be the head of North Korea. It’s fascinating but people who are very different and who a lot of the world perceives as evil make for the best interviews," King answered.

Kim, head of the world's most reclusive state sitting on the northern side of the Korean peninsula which remains the only divided country in the world following a three-year war in 1945, has been condemned by the international community for his nuclear ambitions and dire human rights situation in the country.

"They don't look in the mirror and think that they are evil or different. They have a point of view and I want to know how they got their point of view," King stated.

He then said the questions he would want to ask are: why they rule North Korea the way they do, what they are worried about, are they worried someone will attack them, what motivates them and what they think when they see an open and democratic society like Seoul.

King also said he would have "loved" to interview the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, his death being an incident which made him miss hosting his "Larry King Live" CNN show which he stepped down from last December after 25 years.

"When big stories happen, you bet I miss it. First because I had so many contacts over the years like the head of the CIA so I would have tried to talk to him or get him on my show," King explained, but added he does not miss the sidebar and tabloid stories.

"It's mixed emotions. There are days I miss it and the days I don’t...... It’s like watching your mom falling down the cliff with your new car," King said with a smile.

However, the King who turned up at this year's SDF, 77 years old and still wearing his trademark suspenders, is not ready to turn off his mic.

He recently finished working on a story on Alzheimer's disease and will soon do another on Johnny Depp for four annual specials for CNN while adding he is still chasing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro -- he even traveled to Havana last year to try to secure an interview.

He is also on tour in the U.S. for his one man comedy show he launched in April for which he will also travel to Australia and Greenland, and is set to take on more radio and Internet gigs.

"I plan to collapse in August... I'm not going to do anything....... I've been doing something for 54 years so it'll be nice to have a break."

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Jessica Kim jesskim@