A hopeful outlook on the UVA student detained in North Korea
It is easy to expect the worst – don’t
On Saturday, January 2nd, 2016, UVA student Otto Frederick Warmbier was detained at Pyongyang airport as he prepared to go home after a five day trip over New Year’s holiday.
He visited the country through Young Pioneer Tours, one of the few tour groups that operate in North Korea. Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours confirmed that one of their clients is being detained in Pyongyang airport, though this was not reported until Friday.
North Korean officials state that his detainment is because he was “committing a hostile act against the state.”
In a statement to Reuters, Johnson said, “We are in touch with Otto’s family, the U.S State Department, and the Embassy of Sweden in Pyongyang (which represented U.S interests in North Korea) and doing all we can to secure his release.”
Otto Warmbier is a third year, from Cincinnati, studying commerce. He is the alumni chair of his fraternity Theta Chi and an Echols scholar. Naturally, the UVA community has been in an uproar since the news of Otto’s detainment, and with the reputation the North Korean government holds in the United States, cynical speculation surrounds the efforts for his release.
This situation, however, is not an aberration. Over the past couple years, North Korea has detained and released several U.S citizens.
Jeffrey Fowle was detained during his tourism trip for leaving a Bible in his hotel room – something North Korea considered “incendiary.” However, following negotiations, he was released after several months.
Like Fowle, Eddie Jun Yong-Su was detained for months, due to suspected missionary work, but was sent back to the U.S after negotiations. Some U.S citizens like Aijalon Gomes had very long sentences (up to 12 years), but were released after a couple of months as well.
While tensions are high between North Korea and the United States, it seems that diplomacy is still effective. So as we think about Otto Warmbeir, let us not think about our bad relationship with North Korea, but our successful negotiations when it comes to U.S citizens.