January 22, 2016 – A United States student on tour of Democratic Republic of North Korea has been detained by the government of North Korea. The student identified as Warmbier Otto Frederick is a student of Virginia University, US.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Fredrick entered North Korea “under the guise” of tourism, had the “purpose of bringing down the foundation of (the DPRK’s) single-minded unity at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation,” the KCNA said.
Detention of the student brings to three the number of Americans arrested in DPRK this year.
The Korean government also accused the student of perpetrating a hostile act against the DPRK.
The U.S. embassy in Seoul told NK News on Friday afternoon that it was aware of the report about Warmbier, and said further comment would be provided later by Washington.
At the time of his arrest, Warmbier had been participating in a tour organized by the British-owned, China-based Young Pioneer Tours company, Reuters said on Friday.
