Joo Won-Moon, a 21-year-old student at New York University, will be released and deported from North Korea after being arrested for illegal entry.
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A North Korean news agency reported that Moon was apprehended by the state when he attempted to enter the country illegally by crossing the Yalu River, which borders North Korea and China.
Top diplomats of South Korea and the United States met in Seoul Tuesday to discuss security issues related to North Korea and joint preparations for President Park Geun-hye’s upcoming summit with her USA counterpart, Barack Obama.
Jeong said that the South Korean team for fix works left for the Mount Kumgang resort Sunday without any hindrance, noting that North Korea has been actively providing support for the event.
“It’s a relief that North Korea has made a decision to repatriate our national, Joo”, Ministry officials said in a statement translated to English.
The Ministry also urged Pyongyang to release the three other detained South Koreans. He said he was kept in a hotel room rather than a labor camp, he told CNN during his May interview, which was admittedly under North Korean supervision. Upon his release, Joo was arrested by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), and is expected to undergo investigation and prosecution.
He had admitted violating North Korean law but said he had been treated well by the North, KCNA said recently.
Foreign detainees have said they were coached closely on what to say when making the public statements. Previous year during September, North Korean returned a man from South Korea who fled to the North to escape difficulties he had economically. Citing satellite imagery, South Korean officials say the communist country is mobilizing its military hardware, including aircraft and missiles, for a rehearsal at an airport near the capital Pyongyang.
The other three are accused of serious espionage charges or attempting to establish underground Christian churches.
He had hoped to instigate a few kind of peace process between South Korea and North Korea by getting arrested, he said.
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The release comes as North Korea prepares for the 70th anniversary of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party and is trying “to counter a lot of the criticism about their human rights abuses”, Person noted.
