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List of foreign nationals detained in North Korea

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This is a list of foreign nationals who have been detained in North Korea. Excluded from the list are any persons who were detained while on active military duty and held as prisoners of war or military defectors. Also excluded are people abducted in other countries and brought into North Korea.

Detained Australians

Name Detained Released Days in detention Reason for detention Ref.
John Short 16 February 2014 3 March 2014 15 Unauthorized religious activity
Alek Sigley 25 June 2019 4 July 2019 9 Espionage, was arrested while studying in Pyongyang. After negotiations through the Swedish embassy in North Korea, he was released.

Detained South Korean citizens

Name Detained Released Days in detention Reason for detention Ref.
Min Young Mi 20 June 1999 25 June 1999 5 "Preaching defection". Detained after conversing with a North Korean tour guide.
Kim Jung Wook (alternative spelling: Kim Jong Uk) 8 October 2013 In detention 4,102 Unknown, possibly connected with Christian missionary work. Alleged activities as a "South Korean National Intelligence Service agent".
Joo Won Moon 22 April 2015 5 October 2015 166 Illegally entering North Korea via China
Kim Kook Kie June 2015 In detention 3,494 Committing "anti-DPRK espionage activities under the manipulation of the U.S. and puppet South Korea"
Choi Chun Kil June 2015 In detention 3,494 Committing "anti-DPRK espionage activities under the manipulation of the U.S. and puppet South Korea"
Ko Hyon Chol July 2016 In detention 3,098 Alleged kidnapping of orphans

Detained U.S. citizens

Name Detained Released Days in detention Reason for detention Ref.
Evan Hunziker 24 August 1996 27 November 1996 95 Illegally entering North Korea
Kwang Duk Lee 26 May 1998 27 August 1998 93 Espionage
Karen Jung-sook Han 17 June 1999 20 July 1999 33 Committing "an illegal act". Was accused of insulting local officials.
Euna Lee 17 March 2009 4 August 2009 140 Illegally entering North Korea (see 2009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea)
Laura Ling
Robert Park 25 December 2009 6 February 2010 43 Illegally entering North Korea
Aijalon Gomes 25 January 2010 26 August 2010 213 Illegally entering North Korea
Eddie Yong Su Jun November 2010 28 May 2011 ~208 "Committing a crime" against North Korea
Kenneth Bae 3 November 2012 8 November 2014 735 Unauthorized religious activity
Merrill Newman 26 October 2013 7 December 2013 42 Issues related to his service in the Korean War
Matthew Miller 10 April 2014 8 November 2014 212 Acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist. He had travelled to North Korea intending to get arrested.
Jeffrey Fowle 4 May 2014 21 October 2014 170 Acting "contrary to the purpose of tourism" by leaving a Bible at a nightclub
Arturo Pierre Martinez 10 November 2014 December 2014 ~21 Illegally entering North Korea
Sandra Suh 8 April 2015 8 April 2015 0 Deported for "covertly producing photos and videos to use in the anti-DPRK smear campaign"
Miles, no surname given 13 August 2015 October 2015 ~49 Illegally entering North Korea. Previously sought legal long-term residence. Story initially went unreported, but was later verified and broken by NK News on condition of anonymity.
Kim Dong Chul October 2015 9 May 2018 952 Espionage

Otto Warmbier 2 January 2016 13 June 2017 529 Committing "hostile acts" against the DPRK by allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel. Released back in a vegetative state, later succumbing to injuries inflicted from "severe brain damage".
Kim Sang-duk (Tony Kim) 21 April 2017 9 May 2018 384 Committing "hostile criminal acts with an aim to subvert the country"
Kim Hak-song 7 May 2017 9 May 2018 368 Committing "hostile acts" against the state
Bruce Byron Lowrance 16 October 2018 16 November 2018 31 Illegally entering North Korea via China

Other detained foreign citizens

Name Country Detained Released Days in detention Reason for detention Ref.
Alí Lameda⠀  Venezuela September 1967 27 September 1974 ~2,555 Communist and translator working in the Foreign Affairs Ministry of North Korea, reportedly for joking about Kim Il-sung at an official feast. In a 1975 interview, Lameda expressed that his detention could have been a result of pressure by the Communist Party of Cuba after the Communist Party of Venezuela decided to accept pacification and abandon arms.
Eduardo Murillo  Chile September 1967 May 1968 ~-243 Same background as Ali Lameda, see above
Hyeon Soo Lim  Canada February 2015 9 August 2017 ~920 "Harming the dignity of the supreme leadership, trying to use religion to destroy the North Korean system"
Jacques Sedillot  France September 1967 27 September 1974 ~2,555 Same background as Ali Lameda, see above

See also

Notes

  1. Warmbier died six days after being released.
  2. Lowrance's surname was misspelled and transposed in some news reports.

References

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