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Version 4 Version 5
North Korea Says It’s Holding U.S. Student for ‘Hostile Act’ North Korea Says It’s Holding U.S. Student for ‘Hostile Act’
(about 4 hours later)
HONG KONG — North Korean state news media said Friday that a university student from the United States who had entered the country as a tourist was being held for “a hostile act.” HONG KONG — North Korean state news media said Friday that a university student from the United States who had entered the country as a tourist was being held for “a hostile act.”
The student, Otto F. Warmbier of the University of Virginia, was accused of entering North Korea with the intent of “bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.The student, Otto F. Warmbier of the University of Virginia, was accused of entering North Korea with the intent of “bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Mr. Warmbier, who is from Cincinnati, is a third-year student studying economics with a minor in global sustainability, according to LinkedIn.Mr. Warmbier, who is from Cincinnati, is a third-year student studying economics with a minor in global sustainability, according to LinkedIn.
A classmate said Mr. Warmbier was an honors student, a member of the university’s selective Echols Scholars Program and a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.A classmate said Mr. Warmbier was an honors student, a member of the university’s selective Echols Scholars Program and a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.
Young Pioneer Tours, a China-based company that operates tours to North Korea, said in a statement that one of its clients, identified as “Otto,” was being detained in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The company said that his family had been informed and that the company was in contact with the State Department and the Swedish Embassy, which provides services for Americans in North Korea.Young Pioneer Tours, a China-based company that operates tours to North Korea, said in a statement that one of its clients, identified as “Otto,” was being detained in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The company said that his family had been informed and that the company was in contact with the State Department and the Swedish Embassy, which provides services for Americans in North Korea.
The exact timing of Mr. Warmbier’s detention is unknown, but it appears to have occurred several days ago.The exact timing of Mr. Warmbier’s detention is unknown, but it appears to have occurred several days ago.
In the past, Americans have been detained in North Korea for engaging in activities that the regime declared subversive because they were of a political or religious nature. But the classmate described Mr. Warmbier as neither actively religious nor political, though a picture on Facebook shows him attending a climate protest in New York in 2014.In the past, Americans have been detained in North Korea for engaging in activities that the regime declared subversive because they were of a political or religious nature. But the classmate described Mr. Warmbier as neither actively religious nor political, though a picture on Facebook shows him attending a climate protest in New York in 2014.
Other photos on Mr. Warbier’s Facebook page include one of him behind the wheel of a classic American convertible taken in Havana last year. Another, in which he poses beside a cow, includes the caption: “One picture that captures my compassion for animals, worldly travels, and designer sunglasses.”
Mark Toner, a deputy spokesman at the State Department, said Friday: “We are aware of media reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea. The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department’s highest priorities. In cases where U.S. citizens are reported detained in North Korea, we work closely with the Swedish Embassy, which serves as the United States’ Protecting Power in North Korea.”Mark Toner, a deputy spokesman at the State Department, said Friday: “We are aware of media reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea. The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department’s highest priorities. In cases where U.S. citizens are reported detained in North Korea, we work closely with the Swedish Embassy, which serves as the United States’ Protecting Power in North Korea.”
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a Republican running for president, released a statement saying, “North Korea’s arrest of an Ohio college student is inexcusable and he should be released and returned immediately.” Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a Republican running for president, issued a statement saying, “North Korea’s arrest of an Ohio college student is inexcusable and he should be released and returned immediately.”
North Korea is holding at least two other Westerners.
The Rev. Lim Hyeon-soo, 60, a South Korean-born Canadian minister, was sentenced to hard labor for life by North Korea’s Supreme Court in December for “subversive plots” against North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un.
This month, CNN broadcast an interview it had conducted at a Pyongyang hotel with Kim Dong-chul, 62, who claimed to be a naturalized American citizen. The North Korean authorities have accused him of spying for South Korea. The State Department has not commented on his case.
After North Korea held several Americans in recent years, accusing them of illegal entry, spying, spreading Christian beliefs and other “antistate” crimes, the State Department has strongly recommended against all travel by Americans to the country. Still, thousands of Westerners visit there annually.
Tour agencies advise their clients not to preach religion or engage in political debates while in the North. One American was arrested for leaving a Bible behind in his hotel. North Korean customs officials inspect the visitors’ laptops, DVDs and computer memory sticks. They treat the possession of pornography or publications criticizing their government as criminal acts.
Analysts have said that North Korea’s occasional arrests of outside visitors are driven by the government’s need to guard its isolated people from foreign influences, as well as its desire to increase its leverage against Washington at times of tensions. It has often released American detainees only after prominent Americans visited its capital.
Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary held in North Korea on charges of trying to establish a secret proselytizing network, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in the spring of 2013, amid rising tensions with Washington following its third nuclear test. North Korea freed him in late 2014 after Washington sent the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., there.
The American student’s arrest was disclosed as the United States and its allies were mustering international support for a new round of tougher sanctions against the North after its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6.