Did He ask for it?

[scott h]

4 minutes ago, Ram1957 said:

So why wasn't North Korea on that list

My best guess is because they have nukes. Don't know for sure but just guessing. Me personally I think they should blockade that place and starve them out

[Mark Berkowitz]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I don't know how to account for it except to say some people seem to get an erection travelling into danger zones.  Its weird.  Yes it is wrong for the North Koreans to allow people into their country and then treat them this way.  If they don't want them and they close the borders and the guy still sneaks in then its all on him.  But if he came in legally then No Kor has a moral obligation to just deport the guy if he is committing some minor offense.  Not lock him up until he gets sick and dies.  If they don't like that then don't let people in.

When I was faced with a ‘John Rambo’ situation back in 1974, I allowed a Sheriff (in rural Indiana) to take me for a ride to the highway—from there, I continued to hitch-hike my way across the USA.

If I had said no to the Sheriff, I probably would have ended up in the town jail (where I would have been abused) just like John Rambo in the movie, ‘First Blood,’ since I looked and talked just like a New York City hippy.

What I’m saying is that it makes more sense to deport people (from a place like North Korea) than to imprison and torture them. Although foreigners show poor judgment by continuing to go to places such as North Korea, they do not deserve to be imprisoned and tortured.

What has ever happened to humanity? Has the world (even North Korea) lost its ability to treat people humanely?

[Queenie O.]

4 minutes ago, Ram1957 said:

Did he ask for it? Well I'm sure he didn't. Too bad he got caught up it the situation that ended his life. On the other hand why was North Korea still a country the United States allows a passport holder to visit. Yet there are three countries you cannot visit on a US Passport. Those countries are, Central African Republic, Eritrea and Libya. So why wasn't North Korea on that list as they are known for the prison camps and human rights abuses? North Korea still holds other foreign nationals in their prisons hopefully they won't meet with the same fate as Otto did. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Nobody should have to die just because he has different views of the world than the Government of North Korea has. https://www.tripsavvy.com/countries-you-cant-visit-with-us-passport-3259961 

I think that policy will change too Ram, to include North Korea. It makes sense to me too.

[OnMyWay]

11 minutes ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

What I’m saying is that it makes more sense to deport people (from a place like North Korea) than to imprison and torture them. Although foreigners show poor judgment by continuing to go to places such as North Korea, they do not deserve to be imprisoned and tortured.

Countries such as NK use those people as hostages and bargaining chips.  Why would they deport them when they can trade them to idiot Western leaders for billions?

[Mark Berkowitz]

39 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Countries such as NK use those people as hostages and bargaining chips.  Why would they deport them when they can trade them to idiot Western leaders for billions?

Did any Western leaders give any billions yet? If they did, please inform us about the details.

[mogo51]

1 hour ago, robert k said:

Wasn't tied up in the Texas matter, just lodged under the truck. I think you are mixing it up with the South Carolina matter where the man was chained behind a truck. Not to defend anyone, hit and run/attempted murder/murder would have been a heinous enough crime but to keep the record straight.

I don't think the issue is whether it was Texas or North Carolina or Alaska for that matter.  Nor do I accept his injuries were due to starvation.  He has been mistreated pure and simple.  It is now a matter for the Western countries to make this an issue, but I doubt it will happen.

[robert k]

1 minute ago, mogo51 said:

I don't think the issue is whether it was Texas or North Carolina or Alaska for that matter.  Nor do I accept his injuries were due to starvation.  He has been mistreated pure and simple.  It is now a matter for the Western countries to make this an issue, but I doubt it will happen.

Ron, NK has been a problem for many, many years. Years ago NK was on the verge of war because Japan decided to automate rather than employ the yearly 100,000 NK "guest" workers. That was a large portion of the NK budget. South Korean businesses built some manufacturing plants in NK, Samsung for one, which partially eased the problem but the problem is still there. NK could be a prosperous country, but like many places their system hold them back. They might claim to be a democratic country but in effect they are a hereditary oligarchy and as such the mailed fist is the answer to every problem and they perceive it as velvet glove/ charity if they let you go home to die. I think NK would actually prefer that you survive a couple years after being returned so you can spread the word better, but in this instance implementation failed. I think the young man could have had his item and returned home if he had found a political officer and asked if he could have it. It could have been a photo op and propaganda coup, no matter what the kid intended to do with it later, but the kid tried to steal it and we will never know.

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

Did any Western leaders give any billions yet? If they did, please inform us about the details.

Billions was an exaggeration.  Millions is more appropriate.

It might be part of a bigger deal, but I seem to recall an unmarked plane flying to somewhere in the middle east with 400 million USD on board.  A few days later some Americans were set free.  We are not supposed to talk politics so I will leave it at that.

[robert k]

Stay away from Young Pioneer Tours. It set the bells a ringing. I hadn't heard "pioneer" in this context in some time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Pioneer_camp

[mogo51]

16 hours ago, robert k said:

Ron, NK has been a problem for many, many years. Years ago NK was on the verge of war because Japan decided to automate rather than employ the yearly 100,000 NK "guest" workers. That was a large portion of the NK budget. South Korean businesses built some manufacturing plants in NK, Samsung for one, which partially eased the problem but the problem is still there. NK could be a prosperous country, but like many places their system hold them back. They might claim to be a democratic country but in effect they are a hereditary oligarchy and as such the mailed fist is the answer to every problem and they perceive it as velvet glove/ charity if they let you go home to die. I think NK would actually prefer that you survive a couple years after being returned so you can spread the word better, but in this instance implementation failed. I think the young man could have had his item and returned home if he had found a political officer and asked if he could have it. It could have been a photo op and propaganda coup, no matter what the kid intended to do with it later, but the kid tried to steal it and we will never know.

Thanks Robert for the insight.  I do follow Nth Korea quite a bit, as I see them as the next battle front, as do many.  

There is no logic to how they treat the International Community.  The Industrial area constructed primarily by Sth Korea and providing many jobs for Nth Korean poor, was torn apart by aggressive Nth Korean actions, as we know.  So there goes the subsistence for those people, struggling to make a living and put food on the table.

Their government is a government of tyranny and oppression.  

My main point is how ineffective the rest of the world is in handling them.