BRKG North Korea arrests American student for 'hostile act,' state media says

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/22/asia/north-korea-american-student/

North Korea arrests American student for 'hostile act,' state media says

By Hilary Whiteman, CNN
Updated 9:19 AM ET, Fri January 22, 2016 | Video Source: CNN


(CNN)¡XAn American college student has been arrested in North Korea.

Otto Frederick Warmbier was detained in Pyongyang on January 2, according to Young Pioneer Tours, the China-based travel company he was with.

The tour group said Warmbier's family has been informed and that it is working with the U.S. State Department, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Embassy, which carries out some consular services for U.S. citizens in North Korea, to address the incident.

Warmbier is a third-year student studying commerce at the University of Virginia, according to The Cavalier Daily, the school's student newspaper. School spokesman Anthony de Bruyn would only say that the school "has been in touch with Otto Warmbier's family and will have no additional comment at this time."

North Korean state media said Warmbier, who reportedly entered North Korea on a tourist visa, is accused of carrying out "a hostile act against the DPRK," referring to the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.

Warmbier entered the country "for the purpose of bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government," the report said.

The North Korean government has arrested and accused other U.S. citizens of similar charges in the past.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul says it's aware of the reports of the student's arrest.

On a recent visit to Pyongyang, North Korean officials allowed CNN to interview another American prisoner.

The man identified himself as Kim Dong Chul, a naturalized American, who said he used to live in Fairfax, Virginia.

"I'm asking the U.S. or South Korean government to rescue me," Kim said during an interview at a hotel in the North Korean capital.

Kim, 62, said he was arrested in October 2015 while he was meeting a source to obtain a USB stick and camera used to gather military secrets.

CNN's Will Ripley, Zahra Ullah and K.J. Kwon contributed to this report.


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[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-detains-us-student-for-anti-state-crimes/3157309.html

American Student Detained in N. Korea for 'Hostile Act'

Steve Herman
Last updated on: January 22, 2016 8:03 AM

TOKYO — An American student arrested in North Korea is the latest in a string of U.S. citizens analysts say the reclusive state has detained in recent years to use as geo-political bargaining chips.

Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, of Cincinnati, Ohio, a student majoring in economics at the University of Virginia, “was caught committing a hostile act against the state,” the official North Korean news agency, KCNA, reported on Friday.

Warmbier’s actions were “tolerated and manipulated by the U.S. government,” according to the dispatch.

“We can only speculate why he has been detained. But it is quite risky to visit (North Korea) as a tourist given the sensitivities regarding anything about the state, the leadership, government and political system, or geo-politics in general,” Daniel Pinkston, a professor at Troy University in Seoul, told VOA.

Arrested January 2

Warmbier was a member of group trip organized by China-based Young Pioneer Tours and was detained Jan. 2, four days before North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in defiance of United Nations’ sanctions.

The underground nuclear blast prompted strong criticism of Pyongyang from neighboring countries, as well as the United States, and the threat of additional tough sanctions.

North Korea strictly regulates tourism and nearly all visitors arrange their travels through officially recognized foreign tour agencies.

The United States and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. The U.S. State Department has for years issued strong recommendations in travel warnings against visiting North Korea (officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), due to “the risk of arrest and long-term detention due to the DPRK’s inconsistent application of its criminal laws.”

Private tour operators have been unable to prevent or resolve past detentions of U.S. citizens there and “have not succeeded in gaining their release,” according to the State Department’s current travel warning on North Korea.

The KCNA report, without elaboration, said Warmbier entered North Korea with an “aim to destroy the country’s unity.”

Many of the North Americans arrested by North Korea in recent years have had links to Christian evangelical groups.

North Korea is an atheist state and for more than a decade has been considered the world’s most dangerous country for Christians, according to the non-governmental Open Doors organization, which categorizes the source of persecution as “dictatorial paranoia."

No religious connections

Warmbier’s social media accounts show no religious connections.

“Anyone who is detained by the DPRK authorities should not expect the type of investigation and judicial review they would experience in a democracy,” said Pinkston.

Americans detained in North Korea are frequently put on trial and quickly convicted after show trials. They are often released only after famous American politicians, such as former U.S. presidents, or other prominent figures have flown to Pyongyang.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper went to the North Korean capital in November, 2014 for the release of an American who had ripped up his visa on arriving there six months previously.

A Defense Department plane the previous month also had been sent to North Korea to pick up an Ohio road maintenance worker arrested in May, 2014 for leaving behind a Bible during a group tour.

Other foreigners known to be currently held by the North include a Canadian Christian minister arrested last year and serving a life sentence with hard labor for alleged anti-state activities, and an ethnic Korean man interviewed by CNN this month and described as a U.S. citizen.

Approximately 200,000 North Koreans are believed to be imprisoned for their political views or religious beliefs, according to human rights groups.



Steve Herman

A veteran journalist, Steve Herman is VOA's Southeast Asia Bureau Chief and Correspondent, based in Bangkok.


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[TammyinWI]

They couldn't pay me $10 million to go there, and same with Iran, Afghanistan, and some parts of Africa and Mexico. No way, Jose.

 

[Vtshooter]

They couldn't pay me $10 million to go there, and same with Iran, Afghanistan, and some parts of Africa and Mexico. No way, Jose.

What you said! The guy is still alive, so I guess he doesn't qualify for a Darwin Award. But he has been effectively eliminated from the gene pool, so maybe he still gets a nomination.

 

[Vulture45-70]

Leave him over there, maybe it will be an incentive for other Liberals not to venture where they aren't suppose to be. One less in the Gene Pool

 

[rhughe13]

Warmbier was a member of group trip organized by China-based Young Pioneer Tours

That's funny right there.

 

[Dozdoats]

How stupid do you have to be to go to NorK as a turista?

Stupid enough to go with a .org called Young Pioneer Tours from China, obviously.

Leave his ass over there and let him get home on his own. He isn't worth a single taxpayer dollar.

 

[summerthyme]

The thing is, a "hostile act against the state" over there could be pissing on a wall in sight of a lil' Kim poster!

Agree with the folks who think stupidity should carry it's own reward.

Summerthyme

 

[Marthanoir]

If he converts to Muslims then Bam's will buy him back


How is North Korea a tourist destination?

 

[Thomas Paine]

They couldn't pay me $10 million to go there, and same with Iran, Afghanistan, and some parts of Africa and Mexico. No way, Jose.

Hell there are places 10mil wouldn't get me in the USA.

 

[Kook]

Hell there are places 10mil wouldn't get me in the USA.

Yeah, like several neighborhoods in the St. Louis area...

 

[China Connection]

An odd place to go for a holiday. Too restricted for a start.

Pyongyang and the Taedong river are pictured from the Juche Tower

An eight-lane super highway in North Korea is almost devoid of traffic in this image taken by Swedish photographer Björn Bergman. The road - which stretches around 160km from capital Pyongyang to the border with South Korea - is also in a state of disrepair.

He said: "My kids and friends thought I was one hundred per cent crazy for going to North Korea and asked me to stay at home. But North Korea is one of the safest countries for tourists according to the UN.

The entrance to the zoo in Pyongyang

"The trip was scary, horrible, and beautiful all at the same time. We weren't allowed to talk to the locals - they wouldn't even so much as look at us."

A foggy morning in Pyongyang

A farmer tills the soil

Women push bicycles carrying material to farmers

Pyongyang street scene

A farmer rides on an ox wagon between Pyongyang and the DMZ

Apartments under construction in Pyongyang

 

[China Connection]

One can get this type of scenery in South Korea and China in different parts without the restrictions. I would hate to move about with so many restrictions. And even if you get friendly with a lady there you don't know how things could go if you said the wrong thing.

 

[China Connection]

The Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang. This is where most foreigners stay upon a visit here. It’s conveniently isolated on an island, so you cannot leave and freeroam the city. Tourists are placed in rooms facing the best parts of Pyongyang existing to the right of this frame. It has been speculated for years the rooms are bugged.

Our lunch, a Korean banquet, presented in small metal bowls traditionally served to royalty in Kaesongs history

Our female North Korean guide translating for the local guide at the Monument to the Korean Workers Party. Seemingly all female guides are incredibly beautiful. Coincidence? Unlikely

The perfectly manicured grounds of the International Friendship Exhibition in the mountains outside Pyongyang. A visit is a formal occasion, locals arrive well dressed for tours to catch a glimpse at the great leaders well earned treasures.

In Korean only of course, this skit during an interlude of the Pyongyang Circus left little to the imagination. Militaristic in it’s entirety, the locals loved it. From what I heard, it was better than the last performance which depicted a drunk American soldier dressed as a clown and treated as a laughing stock.

Locals selling local produce in the middle of a dirt road, somewhere between Haeju and Sariwon.

About as good as it gets outside Pyongyang and other main towns.

North Korean specialities Snake Soju (wine) and Ginseng Jelly among other treats are for sale at many tourist locations. The Snake Soju is bottled with a live snake – the more venomous, the more expensive and the greater the ‘medicinal’ payoff. It’s the peak of luxury in North Korea.

 

[China Connection]

A captured US Army helicopter showcased for propaganda purposes at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang. Note the photos, one showing the American ‘imperialists’ surrendering, and the other a gruesome uncensored photo of an American pilot shot in the head. Children visit here in droves.