RYAN LIPPERT WRITES- Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American tourist, is currently awaiting trial in Pyongyang for allegedly planning to remove the North Korean government from power. If Bae is found guilty, he may be executed.
The government-owned media in North Korea has been fairly tight-lipped about the specifics of Bae’s transgression. All they have revealed to the public is that “In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK with hostility toward it. His crimes were proved by evidence.”
The North Korean media’s statement about Bae does not reveal much, raising questions about how they obtained his confession, especially considering North Korea’s reputation for secrecy and their use of draconian methods to maintain order.
Many also question what led the North Korean government to accuse Bae of such a crime in the first place. Some believe that he is being tried for taking pictures of impoverished, malnourished children. This could be another case of the North Korean government attempting to silence anything that could undermine the unquestioning support they demand from their citizens.
The United States Department of State knows that Bae is about to be tried. Because he is an American citizen, they are trying to do what they can to resolve the situation and keep Bae safe. The Swedish Embassy in North Korea has been helping the State Department handle the situation.
Go To:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/27/american-death-penalty-north-korea
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316423/American-facing-death-penalty-North-Korea-took-pictures-starving-orphans.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/29/us-korea-north-bae-usa-idUSBRE93S0SY20130429
http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2013/201304/news27/20130427-01ee.html