North Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor for taking a banner.

(CNN)North Korea has sentenced an American student to 15 years of hard labor after accusing him of removing a political banner from a hotel. The U.S. State Department fired back Wednesday, saying the punishment doesn't fit the alleged crime. The sentence against University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier is "unduly harsh," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, calling for his release. The United States urges North Korea "to pardon him and to grant him special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds," Toner said.

The kicker is the trial only lasted one hour.

Trial Reportedly Lased One Hour.

In court Wednesday, North Korean officials presented fingerprints, photos of a political banner and surveillance images -- proof, they said, that Warmbier committed crimes against the regime. The 21-year-old student pleaded for mercy. "My brother and my sister need me," he said. "I beg that you see that I am only human, how I have made the worst mistake of my life." Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years hard lab

The article then goes on to discuss previous situations with American Detainees and then overall tensions with North Korea.

Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller are the most recent American detainees whom North Korea has released. Both were accused of perpetrating "hostile acts" against North Korea; Miller spent less than a year in custody after being sentenced to six years of hard labor, and Bae, facing a 15-year sentence, was held for nearly two years. The pair secured their freedom in late 2014.

So odds are the poor guy will be spending a few years.

It is still not clear to me why he took the banner, maybe just for a souvenir? pretty expensive gift shop.

a reply to: frostie

Thanks to our current president, we look incredibly weak and wishy-washy, so punks like un feel like they can get away with crimes like this.

a reply to: frostie

Try as I might, I can't figure out what is going through someones head in not just visting North Korea but in trying to do something like this.

I respect journalists who go there for a story, but a regular student? This guy says taking that poster was the worst decision of his life, but to be honest here, he's only in that situation because he made a long sequence of poor decisions that all have claim to the worst decision of his life.

a reply to: frostie

It's about time we spread freedom and democracy to the North Korean leadership, Kim would be wise to look over the past fifteen years of dictators and contemplate his fate. As for the kid, he has learned who's propaganda is closer to the truth, hard lesson but one he will never forget.

a reply to: Aazadan

Yeah, moral of the story,

DON'T GO TO NORTH KOREA.

The professional journalists who know what they are doing are paraded by Korean Agents who make sure they dont break any rules.

The amateur journalists who go, well, they're on their own. Takes balls.

That sort of emotive scene works a lot better back in the states than it does in front of a culture that strongly believes in the concept of "losing face". Probably would have been better with a very calm admission of guilt and request for appropriate consequences and not a 15 year sentence for your parents' sake.

Sounds like he chose to go into the lion's den.
Maybe he should have have went to Somalia University instead.

a reply to: frostie

It's ironic how people moan about immigrants coming to our countries and not adapting to our culture, but when somebody goes to North Korea and doesn't follow their rules/culture it's suddenly a travesty ?

I don't agree with NK's rules, I think they're archaic and totally out of place in our modern world however I wouldn't be so stupid as to disrespect their rules if I ever visited, not that I'd want to visit in the first place because of that regime there.

On the flip side, why can't North Korea just ban him from the country and allow him to return home as a gesture of good will to show the world they're not as bat # crazy as everybody makes out ?

Something like this would be perfect for Kim's regime to make a statement to the world but no they went and ballsed it up by detaining him for 15 years with hard labour...

Stupid kid and stupid country

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: frostie

Try as I might, I can't figure out what is going through someones head in not just visting North Korea but in trying to do something like this.

I really don't think visiting North Korea is all that dangerous within itself... I personally have several family members who've traveled there.

But having said that, to go there and do something stupid, really is a bit like poking an angry bear with a pointy stick, lol... got to wonder what was going though this kids head, to be so careless?

originally posted by: frostie

So odds are the poor guy will be spending a few years.

His own fault for :

1)Visiting North Korea in the first place.

2)STEALING.

originally posted by: frostie

So odds are the poor guy will be spending a few years.

His own fault for :

1)Visiting North Korea in the first place.

2)STEALING.

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: frostie

Thanks to our current president, we look incredibly weak and wishy-washy, so punks like un feel like they can get away with crimes like this.

What Crime?

A idiot visited North Korea.

The idiot stole.

The idiot is now doing time.



You think USA citizens should be exempt from laws in other country’s?

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: frostie

It's about time we spread freedom and democracy to the North Korean leadership, Kim would be wise to look over the past fifteen years of dictators and contemplate his fate. As for the kid, he has learned who's propaganda is closer to the truth, hard lesson but one he will never forget.

I think North Korea should be taken out.

But not over some idiot that decided to steal.

a reply to: crazyewok

a reply to: crazyewok

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

You guys are making it sound like he commited an actual crime.

Stealing is bad. Stealing is wrong. Yes we know.

He stole a F#ing banner...

Its a petty theft.

a reply to: frostie

I think our country leadership is weak and pathetic.

But at the same time, I don't have much sympathy for someone who goes swimming in a piranha tank covered in steak and then complains when he gets bitten.

a reply to: crazyewok

I made two different points which is why I deferentiated by saying "as for the kid"; there are pleanty of reasons to remove the North Korean leadership namely the impoverished and decimated people they reign over. But yes I value American lives, the kid should of known better, but he is paying the price so we shouldn't speak ill of a debt paid by skin, that's the honorable thing don't you agree brother?

I find it very hard to have sympathy for any American foolish enough to visit North Korea. A mature adult should have intervened and stopped him from going before he left.

The CNN article talks him up, Deans List and everyone likes him, but how smart can a kid be to do something so dumb.

There must be a back story as to how he ended up there. No American is welcome there.

originally posted by: frostie
a reply to: crazyewok

a reply to: crazyewok

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

You guys are making it sound like he commited an actual crime.

Stealing is bad. Stealing is wrong. Yes we know.

He stole a F#ing banner...

Its a petty theft.

Sure here it is.


But obviously North Korea think otherwise.

Their country there rules.

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.


Plus it pretty obvious not to commit even basic crimes in North Korea.....Hell its pretty obvious not to visit there in the first place.....you should thank North Korea for removing a idiot.

He spends his money to go to NK?!?!

I don't know,... what other places he could have gone to.... let me think...the rest of the world?!?!?!

Italy is cheap this time of the year, so is Cyprus, Austria, Hungary.....

Or was he contracted to steal that poster? Did he have an agenda?
I hear that poster is worth a lot of money, but still, was it worth it for him to get caught?

15 years! At least he will get a chance to finally meet Dennis Rodman.

Poor guy, I really feel bad for him.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: frostie

Try as I might, I can't figure out what is going through someones head in not just visting North Korea but in trying to do something like this.

I respect journalists who go there for a story, but a regular student? This guy says taking that poster was the worst decision of his life, but to be honest here, he's only in that situation because he made a long sequence of poor decisions that all have claim to the worst decision of his life.

Couldn't agree more.An flight attendent told me of having an emergency stop over in Saudi Arabia and their Sharia police.Where did he think he was to pull a stupid stunt like that I can't understand either.