Posted on 03/18/2016 10:11:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
North Korea has released a grainy video that it claims shows American student Otto Warmbier attempting to steal a propaganda banner from a hotel an accusation for which he received 15 years of hard labor.
The short clip at the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang shows an unidentifiable figure removing a sign from a wall before placing it on the floor.
The banner in the hotel apparently says: "Let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong Il patriotism," referring to the isolated state's leader who died in 2011.
The short security-camera footage could not be verified, and the clip shows a brightly lit corridor in the hotel supposedly in the early hours of January 1, when Warmbier was accused of taking the sign.
North Korea regularly blacks out many buildings because of resource shortages in the country.
Warmbier was arrested as he attempted to leave the country in January and later made a televised "confession" saying he had taken the sign to bring back as a "trophy."
The 21-year-old student, who had visited the isolated state as a tourist, had said during his confession that he had tried to steal the banner for an acquaintance who wanted to hang it in her church.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA earlier said that the University of Virginia student's offense was "pursuant to the US government's hostile policy" and that he was convicted under an article of the criminal code dealing with subversion.
Foreigners are often detained in North Korea, where they are used by Pyongyang to exert diplomatic pressure.
But the rogue state has often imposed stiff sentences before releasing prisoners, and many of those who have confessed later say they were forced to do so.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
This really, really bothers me. To see this 23 year old American reduced to a puddle and no different than a 3 year old child. Yeah, and those US Sailors who were also crying is a total embarrassment — total. This is the American military?? This is America?
How utterly soft we have become. We are a nation of pajama boys, and in contrast to the 18 kids who volunteered to fight, and die, in WWII.
Stunning.
Bad career move kid. You’ll be fortunate to eat nothing but kimchi and rice for the next 15 years.
“those US Sailors who were also crying is a total embarrassment”
They broke pretty fast. Did they take away their Iphones?
What happened to name, rank and serial number?
Because North Korea has this mystique. Kind of the same way many college kids or leftists wear Che t-shirts because it’s chic and cool. Kind of like the way a 72 year old codger Socialist, Bernie Sanders, is suddenly “cool”. It’s all counter-culture bait.
I was thinking the same thing: Bernie voter.
It takes some special kind of liberal idiot to steal a Dear Leader trophy in NORK.
Understood. Just stating what I saw in the video. There may be more to the story than what we're hearing - and there often is.
He deserves 15 years for being stupid.
“My guess he will never serve more than a year. The Norks are going to enjoy showing that pic of him crying to their people. I dont blame the kid for crying.”
Sean Flynn served a year in Cambodia....
Watch in November — he will vote. Dem’s vote from the grave, and beyond the iron curtain.
Also the quality of the video is in question. You can get a good HD camera for just a few dollars these days.
Sadly, your comment reflects the Left’s approach to North Korea.
NK is okay, and America is the bad guy. What are people expecting from children who have been taught all their life that America is the BADEST country in the whole world.
It may have been a prank; but to NK it was not a joke.
If our youth were taught the truth about these countries, NONE OF THEM WOULD EVER WANT TO VISIT THERE, LET ALONE THINK “STEALING” A POSTER WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
This episode is just more evidence that a lot of our young people have a glorified picture of NK .. and what they have been told has NO RELATION TO REALITY.
It seems lack of reality is a very big problem in our schools.
I have a friend that helped Ted Koppel decorate his basement in Potomac, MD. Apparently he has a lot of Chairman Mao posters from the 40’s and 50’s framed on his walls.
Is Warmbier his real name? That alone is worth at least one year hard labor.
He should be arrested for wearing that tie with that shirt.
After seeing the video, I am with the North Koreans on this one.
Another spoiled American brat thinking it’s fine to steal others’ property.
I know S.Korea has CCTVs everywhere (one reason the country has a non-existent crime rate). Now we know N. Korea does too.
This is the best one of Kim Jong Eun. It apparently infuriates him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yflq45DrVw
Great Top 10 Chinese song too!
He should have told them that he was so inspired by the banner and its message that he planned to take it back to the US and proudly display it in Times Square. And for good measure, he should have added "can you give me a few more to take back?"
Elsewhere I read that he went against the wishes of his parents... I feel VERY sorry for them.
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