Otto Warmbier

Otto Warmbier
Born (1994-12-12) December 12, 1994
Status Incarcerated in North Korea
Nationality American
Education Wyoming High School (2013)
Alma mater University of Virginia
Occupation Student

Otto Frederick Warmbier (born December 12, 1994)[1] is an American citizen who is incarcerated in North Korea after having been convicted and sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for "hostile acts against the DPRK". He was arrested over the alleged theft of a political propaganda poster, on January 2, 2016, during a backpacking tour in North Korea with an independent travel company.[2][3]

Early life

Prior to his arrest, Warmbier studied for a double major degree in commerce and economics at the University of Virginia.[4] In 2013, he graduated from Wyoming High School in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.[5][6]

Travel to North Korea

Warmbier travelled to North Korea as a tourist with the Young Pioneer Tours company on a backpacking tour.[7][8][9][10] During his travel, he allegedly stole a propaganda sign from a staff-only area in the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang, where he was staying along with around 100 other westerners, including other American citizens.

Theft

On March 18, North Korea's news agency released a video purporting to show the theft itself. In the 18-second low-resolution video, a shadowed figure (whose face remains hidden) removes the sign from the wall and places it on the floor, leaning against the wall. This action is shown twice, followed by a higher-resolution picture of the sign on the wall.[11]

Arrest and conviction

On January 2, Warmbier was arrested while in the process of departing North Korea from the Pyongyang airport.[4] The other guests in his tour group all left the country without incident. His alleged crime was called an "act of hostility against the state" by the North Korean government. On February 29, 2016, he confessed to stealing a piece of North Korean propaganda to take back to the United States as a "trophy" for someone from his home-town church who offered to pay him for it with the gift of a car worth $10,000.[12] The poster said, "Let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong-il's patriotism!" Harming such items with the name or image of one of their leaders is considered a serious crime in North Korea. Kim Jong-il is the father of current leader Kim Jong-un.[13]

On March 16, two hours after veteran American diplomat Bill Richardson met with two North Korean diplomats from the United Nations office to press for Warmbier's release,[14] Warmbier was reportedly sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.[15] His confession reads as follows:

I never, never should have allowed myself to be lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country, I wish that the United States administration never manipulate people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. I entirely beg you, the people and government of the DPRK, for your forgiveness. Please! I made the worst mistake of my life![16]

International reaction

Other countries and organizations have condemned Wambier's sentence. Human Rights Watch called the sentencing "outrageous and shocking."[17] A US State Department spokesman stated the harsh sentence was done "for political purposes" and was actually a response to strengthened economic sanctions due to increased North Korean nuclear weapons testing.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Home › Birth Records › Otto Warmbier". Mooseroots. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "North Korea arrests US student for 'hostile act'". BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Levine, Jon (22 January 2016). "North Korea Reportedly Arrested This University of Virginia Student for a "Hostile Act"". Mic.com. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Campbell, Charlie. "The Detention of a U.S. Student in North Korea Underscores the Risks of Traveling There". Time. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "Wyoming grad arrested in North Korea for 'hostile act'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Lifetouch Special Events". events.lifetouch.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  7. ↑ Beard, Rowan. "Otto Warmbier – Jail Sentence Statement". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  8. ↑ James Pearson (23 January 2016). "U.S. student detained in North Korea 'over hotel incident'". Reuters. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Nick Anderson (22 January 2016). "Tour group to N. Korea takes people places ‘your mother would rather you stayed away from’". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "North Korea Says It’s Holding U.S. Student for ‘Hostile Act’". The New York Times. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016. Young Pioneer Tours, a China-based company that operates tours to North Korea, said in a statement that one of its clients, identified as “Otto,” was being detained in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
  11. ↑ "N. Korea: Video shows Wyoming grad remove sign". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  12. ↑ http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/16/470635455/n-korea-sentences-virginia-student-to-15-years-prison-hard-labor
  13. ↑ Sang-Hun, Choe (18 March 2016). "U.S. Student Runs Afoul of North Korea’s Devotion to Slogans". Newspaper. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "N Korea sentences US student to 15 years hard labour". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  15. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/north-korea-sentences-us-tourist-to-15-years-in-prison/2016/03/15/04941f04-eb2b-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html
  16. ↑ Ap, Tiffany. "North Korea sentences U.S. student Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labor". CNN. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "US student Otto Warmbier given hard labour in North Korea". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "President Obama Responds To Warmbier Sentencing: North Korea Hit With New Sanctions". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.


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