US student given 15 years hard labour in North Korea

[Aeula]

15 years a slave for stealing a sign.

I didn't even know you could go to North Korea, let alone be stupid enough to break the law there.

[Tennis]

Seriously we need to have some perspective here. I doubt the kid thought he would be faced with 15 years hard labor for taking a memento from the hotel.
Geez you people....

Really? He visits NK and thinks he can break the law without consequences?

[WintersLegion]

Short of the stupid sentence, what exactly the North Koreans did ?

Ah, yes, something absolutely unheard of :

Appying a ridiculously harsh sentence to look tough on crime, especially against demonized foreigners. Something totally unheard off, I tell you.

For North Korea that is a light sentence they have a three generation punishment where your imprisoned for three generations meaning three generations of your family will be born and die in the prison. There have also been cases of them executing people by locking them up with starving dogs.

[Xada]

Try to steal something in US, and you get legal death sentence as soon as some trigger happy gun nut sees you. Which one is more over the top? Death sentence for stealing or 15 years of physical labor?

That isn't a government enforced punishment and you've removed all context from the matter so there's absolutely no way to argue with you. Your an opportunistic vulture that swoops in on stories to push points on things that you don't like, in this case it's gun laws. Do you really want a "war on drugs"v2 with guns? Should have learned your lesson with prohibition, but no, make those same mistakes. Same battle, different hill, have fun with that.

[TrumpIsPresident]

I didn't even know you could go to North Korea, let alone be stupid enough to break the law there.

Visiting North Korea is possible and if you have any sense you go with a fully managed touring entity.

They basically babysit you the entire time and can help you from making the sort of cultural faux pas that would get you into trouble there.

The thing about visiting NK that most people cant get their head around is that when you're there you are a guest in the truest sense of the word.

They will not accommodate you in any manner that extends past their normal standards nor will they pander to you in any way because of any characteristic or identity.

Self centered or oblivious persons would have difficulties adjusting to a nation that doesn't bend to their every desire.

[Azadina]

That isn't a government enforced punishment and you've removed all context from the matter so there's absolutely no way to argue with you. Your an opportunistic vulture that swoops in on stories to push points on things that you don't like, in this case it's gun laws. Do you really want a "war on drugs"v2 with guns? Should have learned your lesson with prohibition, but no, make those same mistakes. Same battle, different hill, have fun with that.

You brought guns to this. I'm comparing punishment for the same crime.

[Adam Jensen]

Yeah, you go to a totalitarian nation, you fucking obey their rules.

I doubt he'll stay for fifteen years (the way NK is behaving there might not be an NK in fifteen years) but he was a fucking dumbass nonetheless.

[Xada]

You brought guns to this. I'm comparing punishment for the same crime.

It's not the same, you're talking about the actions of a vigilante.

[Tennis]

Sounds like it was "just" a silly religious Christian challenge. Silly Christians

Did he get coached on this statement? Seems like he really practiced it.

[Krawu]

In the west stealing a souvenir like that isn't a big deal, but in N.Korea they probably had to let 2 or 3 families somewhere in the countryside starve for the government to be able to afford having it made so they could impress tourists with it.

That being said:
A: The kid is a moron. If you're brazen enough to travel to NK as a US citizen you should at least know to be on your best behavior. Don't give them any excuses

B: They are obviously going to use him as a bargaining chip against the US. There's probably going to be some backchannel deal to lift some sanctions or supply Kim Jong-Un with a years supply of Hennessey or swiss cheese or something, so some politician can look good when they bring him home 18 or so months from now.
NK has no interest in holding non-military US citizens for 15 years, but they know there's going to be political pressure in the US to get him back.

[Azadina]

It's not the same, you're talking about the actions of a vigilante.

That's what your law allows. Executing thieves on the spot if they are on your property. Guy in this story wasn't shot for stealing, in the US you can be, legally. I think either sentences for stealing is ridiculous. I just find it ironic that people from US are saying this sentence is over the top, when back there you can shoot people dead for nearly the same.

[Gheld]

Basically to go to NK you have to travel to China and then I think you have to pay the Embassy about 20-40 grand or something like that.

Then you get a heavily monitored and escorted trip to NK.

So this isn't some naive poor college freshman on some soulseeking backpacking tour.

[Repefe]

He is like this retarded cousin you can't discard, because he is family. But given the choice, you want to avoid him as often as possible. He went to North Korea and he tried to be a smart ass there. Why is he only getting 15 years.

[Xada]

That's what your law allows. Executing thieves on the spot if they are on your property. Guy in this story wasn't shot for stealing, in the US you can be, legally. I think either sentences for stealing is ridiculous. I just find it ironic that people from US are saying this sentence is over the top, when back there you can shoot people dead for nearly the same.

It varies state by state, normally doesn't warrant an execution. The only thing that courts will forgive vigilantism (at least in my state) is trespassing. The justification is the trespasser is a threat to your safety. The only states that pull the shit your talking about is Florida (maybe California) where laws get so vague that "stand your ground" laws becomes a he said/she said situation. Trouble there is a big piece of evidence is usually shot dead and can't give their testimony. I don't need to be reminded of that state, we're ashamed of florida just like canada is ashamed of Justin Bieber.

[Dug]

People in the US are doing life sentences for weed due to 3 strike laws I dont see this as any less unreasonable.

That's equally unreasonable. Drug prohibition laws, especially weed ones are ridiculous and put way more people in prison than needed.

[Dellis0991]

Why do people keep fucking around in North Korea? Let those motherfuckers be.

[The Penguin]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35818581

So he was charged with attempting to steal a sign from a hotel and given 15 years hard labour. A US diplomat was there trying to secure his release yesterday, but North Korea wishes to play hard-ball after further sanctions from the UN and combined South Korean/US military exercises.

Do you think he'll end up serving 15 years?

I think the kid is an idiot for going to NK in the first place, if you then break the rules you're just a grade A moron on top. I doubt however he'll end up serving the whole 15 years, the US will find some way to get him out, or they'll get sick of NK and break him out (and break a few other things at the same time.) Still, at the very least we can hope mongloid idiots living pampered lives take a lesson that the world isn't picnics and rainbows and that you can't just play a "joke" in one of the most extreme countries on the planet.

Admittedly Corki (not his real name but his mentality) is a moron, but at the same time we need to stop pandering to N.Korea and letting them do this. Even if it caused a minor international incident, I'd send in the best S.E.A.L. team we had to liberate the prisoner in direct defiance of N.Korea's "justice". N.Korea always threatens missiles and war with us, so lets call their bluff for once and redefine our relationship a little. The little shit that they call a leader (probably a clone of his father), needs to realize how unimportant he is.

[Jeleh]

North Korea; once you visit, you'll never leave again...

[Deleted]

You have to be pretty fucking dense to, not only go to North Korea, but then break the law.

It's like those american "students" that mistakenly cross over into iran illegally n other countries..

He is not a student, he is a spy, so I say good riddance!

[Phookah]

I love it how the most of people here are feeding on a propaganda. North Korea is not "that bad". They're actually kinda good for tourists.
But why I'm even talking about it with someone who has never experienced that.

People are smiling, they're not working hard in the mines, they're not working on the field 20h/day or something.




It's not Honolulu or Thaiti. But it's not Soviet Russia gulags neither... But yeah - they have hard law. No one should break them, no matter if they're in North Korea, Switzerland, Autralia, Russia or France. Saudi Arabia has probably more brutal law and only a few people actually care about that.



Calling someone an idiot because he wants to discover other countries and expand his point of view? Then you must be one aswell if you think so.

ahahahahahahahahahaha way to fall for all the propaganda shit that literally only shows you the "tourist" spots that are okay for anybody not North Korean.
Do yourself a favor and go watch some real documentaries on the place and not some youtube crap. These forums some days