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Subscribe to RSSSEOUL — North Korea confirmed on Friday that it had detained an American tourist on charges of perpetrating a crime against the state and said it is putting him through criminal proceedings, indicating it is set to try him.
Kenneth Bae, a Korean American tourist who traveled to visit North Korea last month, was detained by police in the reclusive state, associates of his family and activists in Seoul said last week.
His custody comes amid tension between Pyongyang and Washington over a recent North Korean rocket launch, which U.S. officials consider a provocative test of ballistic missile technology.
"In the process of investigation, evidence proving that he committed a crime against the DPRK was revealed. He admitted his crime," the state news agency KCNA reported.
KCNA said Swedish Embassy officials had visited Bae on Friday but provided no details of his condition or of the crime he was charged with.
Sweden handles the affairs of U.S. citizens in North Korea because the United States does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as it is officially known.
According to North Korean law, the punishment for hostile acts against the state is five to 10 years of hard labor.
More North Korea coverage from NBC News
Kookmin Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper owned by an evangelical church, had said Bae had been arrested for carrying a computer hard disk that contained footage of North Korea executing defectors and dissidents.
It has not been possible to verify the report.
David Guttenfelder / AP
In this March 9, 2011 photo, a girl plays the piano inside the Changgwang Elementary School in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
U.S. citizens of Korean descent have previously run into trouble in the North. Robert Park, a missionary, was detained after entering the country in late 2009 and said he was tortured for protesting against human rights abuses.
Earlier that year, former president Bill Clinton flew to Pyongyang to secure the release of two American journalists who had entered North Korea illegally.
North Korea's weapons progress alarms U.S. and allies
The two were sentenced to 12 years of hard labour in a work camp for crossing the border illegally and "committing hostile acts".
North Korea, which has twice tested nuclear devices, launched a rocket on Dec. 12 that put an object into orbit.
The launch drew U.N. condemnation as a violation of a ban on missile-related activities, but the North has said it was exercising its right to space exploration.
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Leave a Comment:
He admitted his crime... Well after your toe nails are pull off one by one, I DID IT I DID IT!!!!!
Hardcoffeeat6am
They just waterboarded him. That works every time to make him tell the truth. Remember all the information we got when we waterboarded the terrorists? ;-P
Yeah, with enough torture, you'll confess to anything. Or he could have done something like take a picture of the wrong tree.
Another American detained in a country KNOWN FOR DETAINING AMERICANS! Who in the hell goes to North Korea on vacation? I say let him stay... let him hang-out with the NK's for a while and stew over such a stupid decision to go there in the first place.
"What I didn't put in the report was that at the end he gave me a choice - between a life of comfort or more torture. All I had to do was to say that I could see five lights when, in fact, there were only four."
"You didn't say it?"
"No! No. But I was going to. I would have told him anything. Anything at all! But more than that, I believed that I could see five lights."
-- Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, in Star Trek:TNG episode "Chain of Command, Part II"
Torture and isolation can do more than make prisoners confess to things they didn't do. It can mess with their heads until they truly believe they're guilty of what they've been accused of.
Tourist? BS. Who the "heck" goes to North Korea as a tourist? Most likely some apostatizing religious nut that wants to teach religion in a way harsher than harsh Stalinist country.
The article implied he was american of Korean ancestry maybe he went to visit relatives or just out of curiosity.
Of course he admitted spying for the U.S. I'll bet he admitted that he was a Leprechaun too. Did he tell you where he buried his pot of gold? Probably the same place you're going to bury him!
I was thinking the same thing!!!
What North Korea said:
"Detained American tourist has admitted his crime"
What North Korea has not said:
"Detained American tourist has admitted his crime after a great deal of difficult persuasion (torture)."
"Kenneth Bae, a Korean American tourist who traveled to visit North Korea last month"
It is better for the US, British and other western nations' citizens to keep away from basket case nations like N. Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and other places.
In many nations, there are high percentages of anti-western feelings. In those nations, many jump to conclusion that every western tourist is a spy!
His treatment would be much worse if he was an Amerasian.Anyone who had been to Korea knows how they feel about mixed kids.
Yep, the Communist Racist illegally occupying Ha Noi in Viet Nam and North Korea hate any Amerasian or mixed race.
Nhan Quyen Cho Viet Nam!! Human Rights for Vietnam! ... and North Korea
Humans of all races or countries have used torture and committed horrible crimes. The North Koreans are particularly worried about the history of such acts regarding people who believe a god is backing them up.
I think North Koreans are more interested in where they will get their next meal more than what some people are doing on the other side of the world. Other than that, they are only concerned about whatever politics the government tells them to be concerned about.
And lets not talk about people in NK afraid of people who believe in god, since Kim Jong Il was basically said to be descended from heaven in their official history.
John,
Attacking God as usual. So predictable your are...almost not worth debating really.
I'm with Dantos, and I add, the Americans are particularly suspicious about the history of a people who live in seclusion, have no separation of judicial and legeslative powers, parrot everything their communist leaders tell them and believe God is ruling over them in the flesh.
In my mind, unicorns and a certifiably crazy littleman "divine" leader are much more laughable than anything else you can conjure up, god or no, period.
While you are sitting here fat, happy and warm spewing your antitheology jazz, people in North Korea are starving because littleman would rather spend the little wealth the country has on 3 stage rockets and plutonium. Sound like a place any person from anywhere would get a fair trial?
@ John: Strike 2!!!! one more and you are out!! Who is the next pitcher? hehehe.
I will assume he is safe. His arrest is not coincidence, obviously. NK officials will use him for propaganda, then release him in a gesture of "goodwill." I should think that injuring him is the one thing forbidden. Should he die while in NK's custody would create a worst-case circumstance for NK. Or, I'm wrong.
I do hope he's safe and it ends soon.
I wonder if he was waterboarded to confess? It's ok......... if he confesses under a waterboarding situation he is probably guilty. Enhanced interrogation is so the way to go these days. Hope to god he was only waterboarded and not tortured. god bless the usa
yup, whatever is good for the goose is good for the ganger
How many years have to pass before certain people realize, you do NOT go to N. Korea, especially if you are of Korean descent? Most go and actually push things that are against the laws, rules, regulations (no matter we think they are fair or not), and then cry foul when they get caught?
I have no sympathies for these people. Stay the hell as far from N. Korea as you can. It's like others standing around a campfire but you decide to jump in. Wow, why did I get burned?
What happened to common sense?
Same with Iran. Why would you ever want to visit these places that are just chomping at the bit to "get back" at America and make an example of one of our citizens? That's where I want to vacation: someplace that harbors ill will towards my native country, has a state controlled media, and isn't known for its human rights.
Agreed. If a country is proven hostile towards foreigners (or even neighboring rivals), people should develop the common sense to stay away.
As we know, however, there are foolish people who think they can make a difference by travelling there to gather and exposing country secrets. They seem to forget that they need to worry about getting out of the country alive.
They are too shielded by urban lifestyle where the worst of people they've personally witnessed are bad waitresses and angry taxi drivers.
People, these are hostile zones, watch where you step and mind the gap. It is truly "their house, their rules".
Hopefully Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are heading over soon.
Reminds me of a Larry Miller routine where he concluded that Americans who work in unstable places like Beirut, etc., must not be very bright ("Oh, I'm just going out for that late night walk..."), so we need a simple message for them: "Shut up and get on the plane."
Anyone think that maybe some people go to those places no one should go so the atrocities that happen can be made public instead of hidden? If he did have pics of the executions then good for him. I hope he makes it out alive and can tell us what he found. People that do these things are brave and a little crazy as well. Same as our reporters who stand in the range of war so we at home can see the truth. I'm glad there are people who care so very much and willing to risk their very lives instead of sitting at home shaking their head at how horrible the world is. At least he did something ( or tried to do something ) about it. The world is not changed by the masses, it's the solo man or woman standing on their soap box screaming to those masses that something is wrong. It's the only way to grab the masses attention. Not sit back and wait for it to change on it's own.
This is a repeat in recent history of dictatorships. When there is tension between NK and US, they kidnap an American and accuse him of being a spy. Same was the case with Iran, the nuclear tension, and the hikers. Civilians are used as "leverage" by dictators.
Stupid is incurable. Hiking on the border with Iraq and Iran, sightseeing in North Korea, providing polio vaccines to Pakistan, looking for pennies in the freeway will all get you prison or death. The cure, don't do it!
William---absolutely agree. What imbecile would go sightseeing there?
There are pennies on the freeway??! Hmm, tomorrow's Saturday; I could go out in the morning and....
I was thinking the same thing, "There are pennies on the freeway! Gotta get me sum!"
Hey it's the first day of winter! Gotta go out and lick me a flagpole!
The pennies on the freeway fell out of the pockets of the last fool who was struck by a truck while searching for the pennies that fell out of the pockets of the previous fool who ...
Those arrested by Kim's Henchmen ALWAYS "admit to their crimes" in the land of the largest Concentration Camp that we naively call a "country" called North Korea. Notice, Kim himself never "admitted" to his crimes against humaity of genocide of millions who were found to "admitting to their crimes" of not Kowtowing to 100% Loyalty to thinking Kim as a god.
We've seen this movie before. They pull this kind of crap every time they launch a rocket or test fire a nuc. This time, send the Seals to get the guy out and don't negotiate with this mental midget "leader" of theirs. He needs to be spanked.
Bae had been arrested for carrying a computer hard disk containing footage of North Korea executing defectors and dissidents. Seems to me North Korea shot itself in the foot. This is a tacit admission on there part that such activities do occur and that is no longer a secret even if they wanted to keep it so. Desperate measures from a despot government. I feel sorry for the citizens who have to live with and be brainwashed by such an oppressive regime. I do not blame Bae for further trying to expose the North Korean activity but the truth is already out there.
Well stated thefogman, Bae is "guilty", Guilty of exposing the truth regarding the Concentration Camp known as North Korea that we mislabel as a "country"
His 'crime' was supposed to have been carrying a 'hard disc' containing sensitive information...like the location of the unicorn lair, or pictures of the dead Kim Jong Il (who has been replaced by a wax statue, since dead people actually look dead). Why would any American citizen go to North Korea in the first place? You know they will arrest you, interrogate you, try you for something you didn't do, sentence you to 10 years at hard labor, then release you when Hillary Clinton promises to reinstate the shipments of Cognac and Maxim Magazines.
and don't forget the rubber glove
Of course he's a bloody spy. Nobody in their right mind would desire to travel to North Korea on the palpably implausible idea of tourism...
Dead man walking .....although he probably can't walk at this point
Kim Jong Un, President Obama called. He wants his spy back.
There are just some places in the world you go to at your own peril. The only people in the world that can not be protected are idiots. Nor do they desreve to be. To try would make you just as stupid as they are. Add anti-gun nuts to the list.
Nice eagle Bob.
And thanks for the "gun-nuts" too. A week ago today 20 little children were slaughtered by a mental case with an AR-14 and 30 shot clips, and this is your contribution to the public discourse today.
Thanks for coming.
The AR was not used! Thanks for your lies today.
But, but.... All the PC people in the U.S. have assured us, ASSURED us, that torture doesn't work! How can this be?
If this guy really had pictures of people being executed ......He will never be seen again. Even if it were perceived that he had them ....the same probably still applies.
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. NK will say what it wants to and we (you and me and the USA) can't do anything about it. Someone wants to visit the PoSNK let them. Just don't cry when they take you into a cell and they will.
They probably waterboarded him. Cheney and the neocons have told us it works well.
You are stuck.
Beside the fact that he should have NEVER have gone there in the 1st place. North Korea doesn't play. Hopefully he will make a better choice next time. If there IS a next time. Good luck buddy.
Another POS country lying about a confession or the results of torture...
The whole point is. Stay out of N.Korea! You are not wanted there and if you go and try to expose them be prepared to suffer the consequences. Enter at your own risk.
Leave him there, as I have said before we are not intelegent people, send them 2 or 3 billion $,s, just to get rid of it, ho hum.
Good, I hope they hang the bastard... interfering, meddling @!$%#s.
No kidding, admitted is crime? Yeah, well after a bit of Kimchi Water Boarding he'd admit to anything. But not to worry, as either Hillary, Slick Willie or Jimmy the Peanut Man are on their way.
I cant believe why these "tourists" keep crossing into these hostile places. Why, can't get a ticket to disneyland or something? Remember those "hikers" that made it into Iran. I mean, if it's reporter / journalist, which unfortunately must get Clinton's hand involved, is another thing. But a common man? Seriously, get a life.....