North Korea to Set Trial for Two Detained American Tourists
Two American tourists, who traveled separately to North Korea, have been detained and are awaiting trial for allegedly carrying out hostile acts against the country, Pyongyang authorities claimed.
Fox News reported that Matthew Todd Miller, 24, and Jeffrey Edward Fowle, 56, were detained roughly three weeks apart in April, but North Korean authorities have yet to reveal what sort of hostile act they committed or the punishment they would face.
The Korean Central News Agency released a statement that said, "their hostile acts were confirmed by evidence and their own testimonies."
The KCNA said Miller arrived in Pyongyang on April 10, but before leaving the North Korean airport, he tore his tourist visa up and exclaimed that he was seeking asylum.
This month, the country's state media said authorities had been investigating Fowle, who arrived to North Korea on April 29, because he was believed to be committing acts inconsistent with a tourist's purpose.
According to Fox, diplomatic sources said Fowle was arrested after leaving his Bible in his hotel room, but a spokesman for Fowle's family said he wasn't in North Korea on a mission representing their church.
Fowle's wife and three children said in a statement provided by the spokesman that they miss him and "are anxious for his return home."
Negotiations have been difficult because the U.S. has no diplomatic ties to North Korea, nor does it have an embassy in Pyongyang. The Swedish Embassy represents U.S. consular affairs in the country. State Department officials said they couldn't release details without a privacy waiver, Fox reported.
Washington updated its travel warning for North Korea to U.S. citizens following Miller's arrest. It stated that in the last 18 months, "North Korea detained several U.S. citizens who were part of organized tours. Do not assume that joining a group tour or use of a tour guide will prevent your arrest or detention by the North Korean authorities."
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