A U.S student was claimed to be detained by North Korea for purportedly conducting aggressive acts against the North's regime.
The Wall Street Journal reported that North Korea released a report informing the arrest of a U.S student for perpetrating an undetermined "hostile act."
A brief dispatch from the Korean Central News Agency identified Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, accused of entering the country "for the purpose of bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity." However, the brief report provided no details of Warmbier's actions, as gathered by the news source.
Warmbier is the third foreigner being held by Kim Jong Un's regime, according to The Washington Post. The undergraduate commerce student, who is under tourist visa, was being interrogated by North Korean officials after participating in "anti-state activity." North Korea added that Warmbier's acts were "the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation."
Young Pioneers, the tour company that brought him to North Korea, confirmed that Warmbier was on one of its tours for a five-day trip over New Year's. He was apprehended at Pyongyang airport on January 2 waiting for a flight to China. The tour company said that they have notified the family and in contact with Swedish Embassy which represents U.S. interests in North Korea, the news site wrote.
The Tribune said the latest arrest happens while U.S seeks rigid sanctions over North Korea's latest nuclear test.
The news site also recalled several Americans being held in North Korea involving South Korean-born missionary Kenneth Bae. Bae was charged with similar accusations and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2013. He was freed in November 2014. A 60-year-old Canadian pastor is currently in North Korean prison on sedition charges and is sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor.
The most recent in a series of arresting American tourists and missionaries fueled speculations that North Korea is trying to win influence over U.S.
