Third-year Commerce student Otto Warmbier has been detained in North Korea for the past two months. Here’s what we know:
He was traveling in North Korea with a tour group
Young Pioneer Tours — a China-based travel agency which hosts tours in North Korea — reported Warmbier was detained Jan. 2 while on tour with the company and said in a statement it is currently working with the U.S. State Department and the Swedish Embassy to ensure Warmbier’s safety.
The day of his flight out of the country, he was arrested for a “hostile act”
Warmbier confessed to committing a “hostile act” of attempting to steal a sign with a political slogan from the Yanggakdo International Hotel in a press conference Sunday. It is not clear if this confession was coerced.
“I committed the crime of taking out a political slogan from the staff-only area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel. The slogan inspires the Korean people’s love for their system,” Wambier said at the press conference.
Warmbier has claimed involvement with the Z Society, Friendship United Methodist Church and the U.S. government
In the press conference, Warmbier claimed the task to steal the slogan from the hotel was given to him by the Friendship UMC and encouraged by both the Z Society and the U.S. administration, according to a translated transcript from KCNA.
His family has not been in contact with him for his entire detainment
Warmbier’s parents Fred and Cindy released a statement Sunday saying they have not been in contact with their son and have only seen a few photos of him since his detainment in January.
“Otto has been away from us for many weeks now, and I know he misses us as much as we miss him,” his parents said in the statement. “Our top priority is to get him back home with us as quickly as possible.”
The U.S. State Department is currently working with the Swedish Embassy to ensure Warmbier’s safety
Spokesperson John Kirby said there is “absolutely” reason to be concerned about Warmbier’s treatment and said it is not unusual for North Korea to detain foreigners at the State Department’s daily press briefing Monday.
Graphic by Leo Dominguez.
