by STEVE HAN
(Photo via Reuters)
North Korea’a state-run media announced Friday that it has detained an American tourist and is investigating him for unspecified acts, the New York Times reported.
The Times identified the detainee as Jeffrey Edward Fowle, who reportedly entered the country on April 29 and, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency, “perpetrated activities that violated the laws of our republic, which did not fit his stated purpose of visiting our republic as a tourist.” Fowle is the third U.S. citizen being held in the isolated country.
Japan’s Kyodo News Agency said Fowle was part of a tour group and was arrested in mid-May as he was about to leave the country.
U.S. officials are said to be communicating with the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang. The European nation acts as a liaison in these cases because Washington has no official diplomatic ties with the totalitarian regime.
Korean American missionary Kenneth Bae remains in North Korea after 19 months. Pyongyang accused him of attempting to overthrow the government with his religious activities in the country and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor, despite his serious health issues. “Kenneth Bae must not be forgotten,” the Seattle Times recently wrote in an editorial. Bae is a former Washington resident.
Robert King, Washington’s special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, had two planned trips to meet with North Korean officials over Bae’s case, but Pyongyang canceled both times.
Also still in North Korean custody is Matthew Todd Miller, who was detained in April for what the government deemed improper behavior. While entering North Korea on a tourist visa, Miller reportedly ripped his passport into pieces at the airport and sought political asylum there.
Last year, another American tourist, Merrill E. Newman, a Korean War veteran, was held for a month by the North because of his “war crimes.” The 85-year-old was released, however, because of his age, North Korean officials said.
The U.S. State Department has warned its citizens not to travel to North Korea due to “the risk of arbitrary detention or arrest.” The advisory also says not to “assume that joining a group tour or use of a tour guide will prevent your arrests or detention by North Korean authorities.”
