North Korea says it has arrested U.S. university student

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Frederick, was “arrested while perpetrating a hostile act”, but didn’t state when he was detained or explain the nature of the act. Warmbier was detained on January 2 as he was trying to fly out of Pyongyang at the end of a trip organized by Young Pioneer Tours, one of several groups that organizes trips for Westerners.

Warmbler entered the rogue state on a tourist visa through the Young Pioneer Tours, a China based travel company that specializes in budget tours of countries that would worry your parents.

NORTH KOREA said yesterday it had arrested a U.S. tourist for an unspecified “hostile act” against the state.

Johnson said his company was in contact with Warmbier’s family, USA officials and the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which represents US interests in North Korea.

Warmbier is a third-year Commerce student at the University of Virginia, according toThe Cavalier Daily, the school newspaper.

NEW YORK – Two prominent free-speech organizations are criticizing publisher Scholastic’s recent pulling of a children’s picture book about slavery and calling it a “shocking and almost unprecedented case” of self-censorship. “The release happens when the North Koreans feel that the hostage is of no more use, they’ve milked it”.

“Travel by USA citizens to North Korea is not routine, and US citizens have been subject to arrest and long-term detention for actions that would not be cause for arrest in the United States or other countries”.

She said that even if the talks open, doubts on the effectiveness will be raised if the talks do not help to denuclearize North Korea.

In a letter sent Friday to Obama, Kasich wrote North Korea “should be called upon either to provide immediate evidence of Mr. Warmbier’s alleged anti-state activities or to discharge Mr. Warmbier from custody immediately”.

KCNA identified the person as Warmbier Otto Frederick, a student at Virginia University.

“I’m asking the US or South Korean government to rescue me”, Mr Kim told a CNN correspondent through an interpreter at a hotel in Pyongyang.

“In addition to continuing political pressure to exhort the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to improve human rights, it is also now imperative to pursue criminal responsibility of the DPRK leadership”, said Marzuki Darusman, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, in a statement on Friday.

Many offenses for which tourists are detained “are really acts that would be considered benign or silly in other countries”, Melvin says.

Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, sparking global condemnation and leading to efforts to impose new sanctions on the regime. Hyeon Soo Lim, the head pastor at a Toronto church that is one of Canada’s largest, had been held in North Korea since February.