South Korea says North releases NYU student held since April

Joo, a 21-year-old student at New York University, was released from his five-month detention in the cloistered country on Monday. Yonhap News Agency first reported Joo’s release, citing experts who deemed it a strategic move to release a highly-publicized detainee less than a week before the 70th anniversary of the formation of North Korea’s leading Workers’ Party.

Joo, who was born in South Korea and had permanent residency in the United States, appeared to flourish while living in North Jersey’s suburbs. Upon his return, the South Korean government says it will investigate Joo for violation of the South’s national security law.

The MoU called the North’s decision to repatriate Joo a positive step, but said it should also repatriate detained South Koreans Kim Jung-uk, Kim Kook-gi and Choi Chun-kil in Northern side.

The Korea Conference for Religions of Peace (KCRP), which represents South Korea’s seven main denominations, held working-level talks on September 29 with the Korean Council of Religionists (KCR), which represents North Korea’s five denominations, for an “inter-Korean religionists’ peace meeting” at Mt. Keumgang in October or November.

An official of a republic that was formerly part of the Soviet Union told the newspaper that North Korea had paid all expenses the last time it staged a major celebration, the 100th birthday of the late Kim Il-sung, the founder of the nation, in April 2012.

Joo will be received by the South Korean authorities at the truce village of Panmunjom.

That launch triggered fresh sanctions and a surge in military tensions that culminated two months later in North Korea conducting its third nuclear test.

He was not put on trial in North Korea, the ABC reports, escaping the fate of many other foreigners who enter the country illegally. The three other persons were accused if espionage or attempts to establish underground Christian churches in the country.

Joo crossed the Yalu River from China into North Korea in April and was arrested by North Korean guards.

Joo’s release came less than two weeks after he was paraded in front of the media in Pyongyang, where he reportedly read a “prepared – and probably coached – speech praising the country, its government and people”.

North and South Korea agreed in August to improve ties, after a standoff that threatened to become a armed conflict.