Officials in North Korea
and the U.S. released little information Friday about a university
student from Ohio who was detained for what the authoritarian nation
called a "hostile act."
Otto Warmbier is the second person from southwest Ohio to be detained in
North Korea in less than two years. A Dayton-area man, Jeffrey Fowle,
was held for nearly six months in 2014.
North Korea's state media said the University of Virginia student
entered the country under the guise of a tourist and plotted against
North Korean unity with "the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and
under its manipulation." The date of his arrest was unclear, as were
any details of what he did.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, campaigning in New Hampshire
as a Republican presidential candidate, 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." Kasich said North Korea should either
provide evidence of the alleged anti-state activities or release
Warmbier.
The U.S. Department of State said it was "aware of media reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea."
A China-based tour company specializing in travel to North Korea, Young
Pioneer Tours, confirmed that one of its customers, identified only as
Otto, had been detained in Pyongyang, the North's capital, but provided
no other details.
Social media accounts for Warmbier show interests in finance, travel and
rap music. Warmbier is majoring in economics with a minor in global
sustainability and was on the dean's list.
A professor at the university's school of commerce, Jeremy Marcel,
called Warmbier "a very intelligent, wonderful young man." A Theta Chi
fraternity brother, Miles Kirwin, added, "He's an incredible guy."
An attorney who represented Fowle in 2014 advised caution for those
involved with the student. Attorney Timothy Tepe, of Lebanon, said North
Korean authorities monitor reports and comments about detainees.
Fowle said on Friday he was "surprised and disheartened" to learn of
Warmbier's detainment. He said he was considering reaching out to
Warmbier's relatives. He said he'd want them to know he was treated
"reasonably well" while detained, was kept in decent quarters and had
three meals a day.
"So physically, it should be all right," Fowle said. "It's just
emotional and mental stress that everybody's going through is the big
thing to worry about."
Fowle, of Miamisburg, said in 2014 he had left a Bible in a North Korean
nightclub in hopes it would reach underground Christians. Back home,
the married father of three said he's doing well now.
North Korea's announcement Friday comes amid a diplomatic push by
Washington, Seoul and their allies to slap Pyongyang with tough
sanctions for a recent nuclear test. North Korea has occasionally
announced the arrests of foreign detainees in times of tension with the
outside world in an apparent attempt to wrest concessions or diplomatic
maneuvering room.
North Korea also regularly accuses Washington and Seoul of sending spies
to overthrow its government to enable the U.S.-backed South Korean
government to control the Korean Peninsula. Some foreigners previously
arrested have read statements of guilt they later said were coerced.
A few thousand Westerners visit North Korea each year, and Pyongyang is
pushing for more tourists as a way to help its dismal economy. The U.S.
Department of State has warned against travel to the North, however, and
visitors, especially those from America, who break the country's
sometimes murky rules risk detention, arrest and possible jail
sentences.
North Korea has previously released or deported U.S. detainees after
high-profile Americans visited the country. Critics say such trips have
provided diplomatic credibility to the North.
The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the
1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About
28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.
———
Associated Press writers Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul; Libby Quaid and Matthew
Pennington in Washington; Heidi Brown in Charlottesville, Virginia;
Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia; and Kantele Franko in Columbus
contributed to this report.
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