North Korea says it has arrested a Virginia student for ‘hostile acts’

A North Korean news agency said on Jan. 22 that the country has detained a U.S. college student for committing a „hostile act” and wanting to „destroy the country’s unity.” (Reuters)
By Anna Fifield January 22 at 5:58 AM

TOKYO — North Korea said Friday it had arrested a university student from Virginia for committing “hostile acts” against the state, making him the third foreigner being held by Kim Jong Un’s regime.

The student, who arrived on a tourist visa, was being questioned by North Korean officials after taking part in “anti-state activity,” the official Korean Central News Agency said in a short statement Friday.

KCNA identified the student as Otto Frederick Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia. The University of Virginia’s online student directory lists Otto Frederick Warmbier, from Cincinnati, Ohio, as an undergraduate commerce student.

North Korea said Warmbier “was arrested while perpetrating a hostile act against the DPRK after entering it under the guise of tourist for the purpose of bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation.”

Young Pioneers, a tourism company marketing itself as the budget option for traveling to North Korea, confirmed that Warmbier was on one of its tours.

“We can confirm that the reports that one of our clients is being detained in Pyongyang are true,” Young Pioneers said in a statement.

“Their family have been informed and we are in contact with the Swedish Embassy, (who act as the protecting interest for U.S citizens), who are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the case. We are also assisting the U.S Department of State closely with regards to the situation.”

Warmbier, 21, was in North Korea for a five-day trip over New Year’s. He was detained at Pyongyang airport on Jan. 2 before a flight back to China, said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours.

On the frequently asked questions on its Web site, Young Pioneers answers a question about safety in North Korea by saying: “Extremely safe!”
Click here for more information!

“Despite what you may hear, North Korea is probably one of the safest places on Earth to visit. Tourism is very welcomed in North Korea, thus tourists are cherished and well taken care of,” the travel agency says.

“We have never felt suspicious or threatened at any time. In fact, North Koreans are super friendly and accommodating, if you let them into your world. Even during tense political moments tourism to the DPRK is never affected,” the site said.

But the U.S. State Department strongly advises against travel to North Korea.

Earlier this month, North Korea presented to CNN a man who identified himself as Kim Dong Chul and said he was a naturalized American citizen who used to live in Fairfax, Virginia. „I’m asking the U.S. or South Korean government to rescue me,” Kim, 62, told the network.

Separately, North Korea convicted Lim Hyeon-soo, a 60-year-old South Korea-born pastor from Toronto, of committing “activities against” North Korea and sentenced him to life serving hard labor.

Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, sparking international condemnation and leading to efforts to impose new sanctions on the regime.

The latest arrest will stoke speculation that Pyongyang wants to use the detainees as bargaining chips to water down the punishment for that test.

The Korean Peninsula has been in a technical state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.

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In recent years, North Korea has taken a number of Americans into custody, usually for activities related to Christianity.

Jeffrey Fowle, a 56-year-old public worker from Ohio spent five months in North Korean detention after leaving a Bible in a restroom at a seamen’s club in the northeastern city of Chongjin. He was released in October 2014 under “special dispensation” of Kim Jong Un, after negotiations involving Bill Richardson, a former American ambassador to the United Nations with a history of dealing with North Korea.

The following month, two other Americans were released when James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, went to Pyongyang. Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae had both been serving multi-year sentences in North Korean labor camps.

Miller, from Bakersfield, Calif., had been convicted in a 90-minute trial on charges of committing “hostile acts” against the authoritarian North Korean government after ripping up his tourist visa shortly upon arrival.

Bae, a Korean-American missionary from Lynnwood, Wash., had been given a 15-year sentence for “anti-government activities” after being detained in 2012 while leading a tour group in North Korea.

Justin Moyer contributed to this report from Washington.

Forrás: https://www.washingtonpost.com/