A US soldier’s escape to North Korea and other examples
On the morning of July 18th, 2023, I woke up to a notification from the New York Times that stated North Korea Detains US Citizen After Unauthorized Border Crossing. A quick read of the article brought me some knowledge of the situation. An American citizen had illegally crossed the border into North Korea after being on a tour of the Joint Security Area. Updates later in the day revealed that the man was an American soldier: Private Travis T. King. The soldier was set to be sent to Fort Bliss, Texas after he had been arrested in South Korea on assault charges. Rather than boarding his plane at the airport, he jumped into a tour of the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea. At some point along the tour, he bolted from the group and across the border into North Korea, a country known to most of us for its infamous dictator Kim Jong Un, horror stories of food shortages, and rule by one communist party. Therefore, I decided to do some research on previous events similar to this one involving Americans taken into North Korean custody, and how they have been dealt with.
Much to my surprise, I found that there had been a number of incidents just like this one. In fact, in one Reuters article that I read, it detailed 10 different instances when Americans had been detained in North Korea. Out of all of those instances, I decided to focus on one of the most prominent and recent incidents of American detainees in North Korea, but I will link resources so that those who wish to learn more can do some research of their own.
The story I will be discussing is that of Otto Warmbier, the US college student who was detained in North Korea in 2015. Prior to the 2017 ban on US passport holders traveling to North Korea, some US citizens visited the remote country of North Korea on guided tours of the country. This is how Otto Warmbier found himself in North Korea. While on a guided tour, Otto and his tour group stayed at the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang. While staying at this hotel, Otto allegedly attempted to take down and steal a North Korean propaganda poster to take back home to the United States with him. Otto’s attempt to steal a poster was discovered, and this is how he ended up being detained in North Korea instead of flying home with his tour group. He was sentenced to hard labor and 15 years in North Korean prison. For months, the Obama administration worked to find a way to get Otto Warmbier out of North Korea, and finally, they were able to send a representative to North Korea for a meeting. Mickey Bergman, an advisor to a United Nations ambassador, departed for Pyongyang in 2016 in hopes that he could negotiate the release of Otto Warmbier, or at least be able to see Otto and make sure that he was alright. But the North Korean government had other ideas, deciding that they would wait until the 2016 presidential election was over to negotiate the release of Otto. The North Korean government refused contact with the Obama administration, however as soon as the Trump administration took over office, they loosened up slightly and became more open to the thought of discussing Otto Warmbier’s release. In June of 2017, Joseph Yun (US special representative for North Korean policy) was informed that Otto was unconscious. In a race to get Otto back to the United States because of health concerns, Joseph Yun traveled to North Korea accompanied by doctors and other members of the state department. There, only Joseph Yun, one other diplomat, and a doctor named Michael Flueckiger were allowed into the land of self-reliance. The North Korean government was skeptical, but ultimately decided to release Otto Warmbier, and he was flown home to the United States. However, Otto Warmbier was returned to the United States in a vegetative state, with severe brain damage that he did not recover from. Only six days after his return to the US, Otto passed away. The time around Otto’s death was filled with heat and hatred between the governments of the United States and North Korea. For example, former President Donald Trump’s famous “fire and fury” statement was delivered around this time. Tensions arose, and because of the fatal brain damage Otto sustained in North Korea, the United States government banned US passport holders from traveling to North Korea. Currently, the state department labels North Korea as a Level 4 – Do Not Travel country. The state department’s travel website warns of “the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals.”
As I stated previously, there are many more stories of detainees in North Korea aside from Otto Warmbier. I chose to tell his story because it seemed relevant and had impacts on the current state of travel to North Korea and relations between the US and DPRK. To this day, it is extremely difficult to obtain a visa to travel to North Korea and one can only gain permission through the state department. I am curious to see how the United States government will handle the case of Private Travis T. King, who is currently detained in North Korea.
This was the politics, stay tuned for the dinner: a delicious fusion of Korean-American ingredients! I hope you have enjoyed the first Politics for Dinner article, and please feel free to reach out with any questions.
References and other resources
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66236989
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-44469005
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/look-americans-held-past-north-korea-2023-07-18/
https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/us/otto-warmbier-profile/index.html
https://www.gq.com/story/otto-warmbier-north-korea-american-hostage-true-story
https://www.reuters.com/world/how-us-soldier-made-mad-dash-into-north-korea-2023-07-19/
https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230804000105&ACE_SEARCH=1
