Americans detained in North Korea

Two Americans were arrested in North Korea, on April 23 and May 7, leading to fears of “detention diplomacy.”

The two detained men, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Hak-song, both worked as professors at the Pyongyang University of Science & Technology (PUST), a North Korean university funded and staffed by US and South Korean Christian charities. PUST caters mostly to children of high-ranking North Korean officials. 

Both men were arrested while at the airport as they prepared to leave the country, and each was charged with “hostile acts against the state.”

Two other American citizens are being detained in North Korea: Kim Dong-chul, who is serving 10 years’ hard labor for spying, and Otto Warmbier, a student arrested in 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel, sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor. 

The US Department of State strongly urges US citizens not to travel to North Korea, warning they are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention. At least 16 US citizens have been detained in North Korea in the past 10 years.

Being escorted by a guide will not prevent someone from being detained or arrested, as North Korean authorities have detained individuals who were traveling with private guides as well as people who were part of organized tour groups. 

A bill submitted to the US House of Representatives on May 26 would ban all recreational travel to North Korea if passed.