By Hey Bill, I wouldn’t quite get your bags packed again yet:
A U.S. human rights activist trying to raise global attention about the suffering of the North Korean people has crossed into the reclusive state, other activists and South Korean media said on Saturday.
There has been no comment from North Korea, which usually arrests foreign border crossers on site, or from U.S. officials.
Activists told Reuters that Robert Park, 28, had crossed into North Korea from China on Friday, while South Korea’s Yonhap news agency and the Kukmin Ilbo newspaper quoted activists who went with him to the border as saying he had crossed at a sparsely patrolled point near the northeast border city of Hoeryong.
Park was quoted by activists who went with the border as shouting when he went across: “I am an American citizen. I am bringing God’s love. God loves you.”
The activists asked not to be named due to security concerns.
Park told to Reuters in Seoul earlier this week that he saw it as his duty as a Christian to make the journey and did not want the U.S. government to try to free him.
“I don’t want President Obama to come and pay to get me out. But I want the North Korean people to be free,” Park said on Wednesday before departing for China. [Reuters]
I am figuring that Robert Park is hoping to get the same kind of media attention that Laura Ling and Euna Lee received after they were caught intentionally crossing into North Korea in order to draw attention to the plight of the North Korean people. I doubt this will cause much media attention considering that this guy’s last name is not Ling. Without the media attention I seriously doubt the US government will mount as big of an effort to get this guy released as they did with Ling and Lee. So any otherwords Park will get his wish to hangout in North Korea for a while.
8:41 am on December 27th, 2009 1
Also considering that he is not a fairly attractive woman.
Reply
December 27th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Yeah that probably has something to do with it too.
Reply
11:23 am on December 27th, 2009 2
I read that he was a Korean American. I wonder what the details of that are. He may get more information and insught than he wanted.
Reply
12:27 pm on December 27th, 2009 3
Concur with The Korean. Because of his lack of the cute factor, there will be much less attention here. However, I think even more important in the Ling/Lee kerfuffle is Ling’s news media, political and Hollywood connections. Personally, I find Euna Lee much more attractive than Laura Ling. But I think if she got popped by herself by the NorKs, there also wouldn’t have been such a frenzy because she’s a gopher who knows nobody of importance.
My guess is the State Department will get this guy out but on its own sweet time. Also, Bubba won’t fly over to get him back. In a way this is unfair. While what Park did was stupid, it seems he did it for selfless intent. Ling was stupid and showboating for personal gain.
Reply
12:59 pm on December 27th, 2009 4
Agreed. If he was an Anglo white guy, things just about would look very much different. Since he isn’t, he’ll rot in North Korea. I don’t feel sorry for him since he got himself into the mess.
Reply
1:00 pm on December 27th, 2009 5
He looks like a Chinese guy. He’s Korean?
Reply
December 27th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Never seen a Chinese person with the family name Park…
Reply
December 27th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Koreans are descendents of the Chinese.
Look like it too.
Sorry tom, could not resist.
Reply
4:09 pm on December 27th, 2009 6
Future martyr in the making. Saint park will be revealed in Pyongyang in 20 years no doubt… If his intentions are trully not for personal gain then more power to him. Talk about a wing and a prayer.
Reply
6:59 pm on December 27th, 2009 7
“I am an American citizen. I am bringing God’s love. God loves you.”
Reply
1:41 am on December 29th, 2009 8
Teasdrinker, and to think that we Americans are the first to throw tea in the harbour yet always the first to bring God’s love. the more that I think about it, we may as well become an Empire after paying off the Chinese and them paying us back for the counterfeit merchandise. American Lawyers worldwide rejoice!
Reply
1:43 am on December 29th, 2009 9
we will not even have to open sentences with Caps anymore in the future, oh Damn.
Reply