Here we go again, on the same old merry-go-round. Nuclear blackmail, rocket launches, and then.....kidnapping:
North Korea says it arrested a US citizen for unspecified alleged crimes on 3 November.
Pae Jun Ho entered the country as a tourist, state media reported.
Some reports from South Korea have said the man is a Korean American who operates a travel company and went to the North guiding a group of tourists.
In recent years North Korea has arrested and released several US citizens, including journalists and Christians accused of proselytism.
State media said Pae Jun Ho was subject to criminal proceedings.
"In the process of investigation, evidence proving that he committed a crime against the DPRK was revealed," state news agency KCNA reported. "He admitted his crime."
More detail here. The man is apparently involved with some kind of evangelical movement, and also runs Nation Tours, which specialises in trips to North Korea:
We found ourselves falling in love with the friendly people…and fascinating culture… After realizing this love was something that needed to be shared with as many people possible, we developed Nation Tours so that others could fall in love with North Korea, too.
Ooh the irony...
Possibly some Christian material was found on a computer. Who knows? It hardly matters.
From AP:
An expert said he is likely to become a bargaining chip for the North, an attempt to draw the US into talks. Five other Americans known to have been detained in North Korea since 2009 were all eventually released....
News of the arrest comes as North Korea is celebrating the launch of a satellite into space on Dec. 12, in defiance of calls by the US and others to cancel a liftoff widely seen as an illicit test of ballistic missile technology.
The announcement of the American's detainment could be a signal from the North that it wants dialogue with the United States, said Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.
He said trips by former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter to North Korea to secure the release of other detained Americans created a mood for US-North Korea talks.
"North Korea knows sanctions will follow its rocket launch. But in the long run, it needs an excuse to reopen talks after the political atmosphere moves past sanctions," Mr Cheong said.
Mr Cheong said he expects that the American will be tried and convicted in coming months. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has the power to grant amnesty and will exercise it as a bargaining chip, Mr Cheong said.
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