Report: Google's Schmidt to head to North Korea

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is heading to North Korea on a private trip spearheaded by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, according to the Associated Press.

The trip will mark the first time a Google official has visited the closed-off country, according to the report. It's unclear who Schmidt and Richardson will meet with during the trip, which could happen as soon as this month, the AP said, citing two people familiar with the group's plans. 

Google has traditionally aligned itself with policies that advocate for an open and free Internet, an aim that's at odds with North Korea's restrictive Web policies. The country reportedly blocks its citizens' access to parts of the Web.

Most recently, Google launched an online advocacy campaign that called on people to sign a pledge to show their support of a free and open Internet ahead of a United Nations treaty conference. The search giant claimed some of the treaty proposals could increase online censorship and hurt innovation.

In an email, a Google spokesperson said the company does not comment on personal travel.

Richardson will try to meet with North Korean officials during the trip to discuss the recent arrest of an American citizen of Korean descent, the AP said. The former governor served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1997 and has been as a special envoy on sensitive international missions, according to Richardson's website.

The U.S. and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations with one another and have long had a hostile political and trade relationship.

Schmidt, who served as the CEO of Google for roughly a decade, is a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group comprised of top scientists and engineers that advise the president on science and tech policy.

He is also set to release a book in April with Jared Cohen, the director of Google Ideas and a former State Department official, that will discuss how Internet technology will impact the future of politics, education, health, terrorism and policy. The book is titled The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business.