Otto Frederick Warmbier, a current student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, is now a captive of North Korea in the capital city of Pyongyang, according to a report by The New York Times.
The American was part of a Chinese tour group when he was detained for what the totalitarian dictatorship called a “hostile act”.
Kim Jong-un and company accused Warmbier of “bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity”.
The student is part of the Class of 2017 and the Theta Chi fraternity at the Mid-Atlantic university, He hails from Cincinnati, Ohio.
This is what the tour group company — Young Pioneer Tours — posted on their website about the incident:
We can confirm that the reports that one of our clients is being detained in Pyongyang are true. Their family have been informed and we are in contact with the Swedish Embassy, (who act as the protecting interest for U.S citizens), who are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the case. We are also assisting the U.S Department of State closely with regards to the situation. In the meantime we would appreciate Otto’s and his family’s privacy being respected and we hope his release can be secured as soon as possible.
North Korea is also holding captive two other Westerners.
Stay tuned to the blog for more on this developing story.