Freed, fired Fowle flies to family
North Korea has released Jeffrey Fowle, one of its three American hostages. We learn this from, among other sources, an AP report — filed from Washington, following a State Department announcement.
In addition to spending five months in North Korea’s gulag lite, Fowle lost his job during his confinement. He can’t sue North Korea because of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, but I do hope he at least sues the company that sold him his tour. Also, as taxpayers, we deserve our own cut of the proceeds for the cost of that flight, and for anything we paid Kim Jong Un to ransom this schlamassel out.
It was unclear whether the U.S. and the North had negotiated Fowle’s release or if the North was offered any concession from the U.S. in exchange for the release.
But State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said at a regular press briefing that she will “let the North Koreans speak for themselves about why they decided to do this, why now,” strongly suggesting that the release was a unilateral decision by the North, not a product of negotiations between the two countries.
That’s not exactly a denial, now, is it?
The widespread view has been that the North wants to use the three Americans as leverage to reopen negotiations with Washington. Pyongyang has indicted (sic) such intentions, displaying the three before U.S. TV cameras in interviews where they asked their government in Washington to send a high-level special envoy to Pyongyang.
I see that I share a widespread view, but I promise not to make a habit of it. Anyway, let it be a lesson to good people everywhere to stay the f … to stay out of North Korea. Hat tips and thanks to several of you.
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Update: This is a denial. Secretary of State Kerry flatly denies any “quid pro quo.”
Something tells me the North Koreans did this out of the goodness of their own hearts. It sickens me to think of whatever ransom we had to pay to get him out of there.
didn’t* do this out of the goodness etc etc etc. D’oh!
Releasing Fowle, North Korea is trying to charm its way out of referral to the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses. Cara Anna has the big story.
I think the main problem is that people don’t understand the dangers of doing something that could be seen as offensive to the regime while in the country. For one reason or another some people are drawn to the country because of its self imposed isolation and go there and do something silly. While their actions wouldn’t provoke jail in most countries, in North Korea it would.
People traveling there should either respect the rules they have there or give the country a wide birth.
Matthew, there is no reason to believe these people violated any local laws. North Korea has a long and disgusting history of seizing foreign nationals any time it is useful to them. These arrests of Americans have nothing to do with “not following their rules”, and everything to do with DPRK needing bargaining chips for the negotiation they clearly want to have.
In the case of Matthew Miller he reportedly tore up his Visa and had an aim of being arrested and imprisoned, the regime obliged.
The other guy left a Bible behind, and I doubt it was accidental.
I’m not too versed on the others but this is a country that is looking for a reason to imprison people who visit. People should be more careful with what they do inside the country and how they conduct themselves. That’s my point.
I know there are some that have genuinely had the misfortune of being targeted by the regime, but some of these cases could have been avoided. We all know how unstable the regime is, if you visit the country don’t give them a reason.
There is no quid pro quo in a triangular transaction, and every government knows that.
The South takes down the Christmas tree to please the North; the DPRK releases a monumental dummy to please the USA; the USA agrees to abstain in the Security Council on the Human Rights motion….
And my point is that Americans in North Korea are subject to arrest no matter how they conduct themselves. I agree that people shouldn’t go there in the first place, but I don’t think we should automatically accept the regime’s justification for why it detains people. Especially Miller, whose tore-up-his-passport-to-defect story sounds like something out of a North Korean TV show.