Yet another report of an American Citizen being held prisoner in North Korea has just come to light in the past month, raising the total to two. The first was the case of a man identified as Kim Dong-chul, a 62 year old claiming to be a naturalized American citizen.
The claims have neither been confirmed or denied by The State Department as to his citizenship, as they declined to comment on the case. Kim was allowed an interview with a CNN reporter after being marched by arm guards to a hotel in North Korea’s capitol, Pyongyang.
During the interview, Kim told reporters after presenting them with his United States passport that he had lived in Fairfax, Virginia before moving to Yanji, a town in China near the boarder with North Korea. Kim admitted to smuggling information across the boarder as well as spying for South Korea on behalf of “South Korean conservative elements” and was detained.
Kim was pleading with the United States for political freedom yet there is currently no statement given by the U.S. Department of State as to the citizenship claim or responsive action.
Ohio student, Otto Warbier, is being detained in North Korea for what North officials are calling a “hostile act.” North Korean government officials and the U.S have released only a little information, but Ottoman was allegedly on a tour through the UK-started company, Young Pioneer Tours.
BYU-Hawaii student Amanda Hendrickson visited North Korea through Young Pioneers Tours and returned safely in 2015. She remarked on the oddity of the detainment. Hendrickson said it was likely that the individual did something against company rules and had to suffer the consequence of North Korean laws.
The U.S Department of State released a statement acknowledging that it is “aware of media reports that a U.S citizen was detained in North Korea.”
The acknowledgement is a step, as in the previous case of Kim, the department is yet to comment. North Korea is infamous for holding political prisoners for diplomatic leverage in times of conflict, especially with the United States. In various cases, if the United States will send a high-profile American, such as the president, to visit the country, North Korea will comply and release the detainees.
This occurred in 2009, when President Clinton visit gained the freedom of two American journalists after a 20-hour visit. According to ABC News, the advantages that these visits play for North Korea is, “diplomatic credibility to the North.”
Joseph Duano, a sophomore business marketing major from Virginia who hopes one day to dabble in politics, said, “I think that as a country we do have a responsibility for our people, and North Korea has the right to hold them based on the law that they broke when they were in North Korea.”
He gave the example: “If you’re a spy and you happen to get caught by the enemy, that’s part of war.”
If Warbier is being wrongly held, and merely being used by North Korea’s government as political leverage, Duano said, “I think then, the US has every moral right to go in and take them, because it’s no longer due to them breaking a law, but it’s against the US.”According to ABC News, Ohio Governor John Kasich called the arrest "inexcusable."
“His Columbus office released a letter he sent to President Barack Obama, urging his Democratic administration to ‘make every effort to secure Mr. Warmbier's immediate release and keep (his) family constantly apprised,’" said ABC News Kasich said North Korea should either provide evidence of the alleged anti-state activities or release Warmbier.