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US Government slams Google chairman's North Korea trip

Students use computers in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The internet is heavily restricted by the North Korean government. Credit: REUTERS/Reinhard Krause

The US State Department has said it believes the time is not right for Google chairman, Eric Schmidt, and New Mexico's former governor, Bill Richardson, to make a planned trip to North Korea.

"We don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters, citing North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket in December.

She said both men were well aware of US concerns about the timing of their planned trip.