Billy Graham spokesperson refutes claim that the evangelist referred to North Korea's Kim II Sung as 'God'

Jeremy Blume, the spokesperson of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), denied the claim made in North Korea's state media that the evangelist Billy Graham referred to Kim II Sung as "God" and said that people need not read the Bible. The said claim was released during the 104^{th commemoration of the national founder's birthday.}

Graham was quoted to have stated that "he met the greatest among all human beings, who carried out the ultimate art of politics with high morality and being the saint of all saints." He supposedly commented that the way North Korea was ruled made him think that Kim II Sung could be God.

The publication also asserted that Graham understood why he was not allowed to share the Gospel to the North Koreans during his 1992 and 1994 visits.

"Kim is this world's God. Why would a country like this need the Holy Bible?" Graham allegedly told them.

"While Billy Graham made two trips to North Korea and knew the elder president Kim II Sung, Mr. Graham has not said anything like this. These words do not even remotely resemble Mr. Graham's theology or his language," Blume told NK News in an interview.

Graham had occasional trips to North Korea — to meet with Kim II Sung in 1992 and to re-visit sometime in 1994. He was the first religious leader to speak about the Christian faith in Pyongyang and was vocal about the warm welcome accorded to him by the leader and his people, according to BGEA.

His teachings further dispute the claims made because Graham finds it imperative to understand the Bible and considers it as the most important book, according to a column post he wrote himself.

No confirmation was given by Pyongyang based on their records that Graham actually mentioned those words. With only three references available to validate their claim, it was found out that none of the three actually contains the alleged statement.