Third year Otto Warmbier admits to trying to steal North Korean propaganda
This is his first appearance since his arrest last month
Otto Warmbier, who was arrested on January 2nd, has confessed to trying to steal of a piece of propaganda from a hotel.
He says that a member of the Friendship United Methodist Church, which he was not a member of, promised to give him a used car worth $10,000 if he did this. The Z society (a secret society at UVA) was also involved – presumably they offered him membership if he was able to complete this task.
He was quoted by North Korea’s KCNA news as saying, “I committed the crime of taking down a political slogan from the staff holding area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel.
“The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people. This was a very foolish aim.”
It is unknown whether the confession was made under pressure, but this has been a precedent in the past, and detainees in North Korea have taken back their statements later on.