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[kaijyuu]

Especially since I have little sympathy for that prisoner guy. I mean, going to do missionary work in NK as an American? That's not courage, it's stupidity. It's sad for his family, but he had it coming.

Hooray victim blaming?

It's one thing to say someone could've acted a bit smarter, it's another to blame them for being harmed by the actions of others.

[nenjin]

Especially since I have little sympathy for that prisoner guy. I mean, going to do missionary work in NK as an American? That's not courage, it's stupidity. It's sad for his family, but he had it coming.

Hooray victim blaming?

It's one thing to say someone could've acted a bit smarter, it's another to blame them for being harmed by the actions of others.

To be fair though. You don't go to one of the most paranoid and authoritarian countries in the world not expecting problems. I feel like there is an American mentality that if we just keep going to NK, and making an international incident out of what inevitably happens, that we're going to change NK. I have all the respect for missionary/humanitarian work, but sort of like being a soldier, you are signing up for the risk when you accept the task. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try to get him back. But I don't think hand-wringing is the appropriate response for anyone but his family.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I can't exactly muster much sympathy for missionaries in general, but we should do our best to get anybody out that we can. NK is a hellhole like no other.

[10ebbor10]

Especially since I have little sympathy for that prisoner guy. I mean, going to do missionary work in NK as an American? That's not courage, it's stupidity. It's sad for his family, but he had it coming.

Hooray victim blaming?

It's one thing to say someone could've acted a bit smarter, it's another to blame them for being harmed by the actions of others.

Well, not really.

As an American (North Korean Arch-enemy) you're going to an autocratic, propagandist state, with the intention of undermining the state religion (Ak, Kim-Yong's being the divine leaders). I mean, you should've seen this coming.

[kaijyuu]

Again, you can say he could've acted smarter and not gone and I won't dispute that, but any *blame* still resides entirely on NK.

The very definition of victim blaming is placing responsibility for someone's bad actions on the target of their actions.

[nenjin]

Again, you can say he could've acted smarter and not gone and I won't dispute that, but any *blame* still resides entirely on NK.

The very definition of victim blaming is placing responsibility for someone's bad actions on the target of their actions.

So if a guy sticks his hand in a tiger's mouth, we're supposed to blame the tiger when he loses it? That's not an exact comparison, but depending on how you view NK, maybe it is. Again, I think this speaks to the Western concept that we should be able to go places and do our thing regardless of the place we're doing it, because we know we're in the right. So we take the moral high ground in situations we precipitated. It's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy because we have given ourselves the mandate to make the world a better place.

[Sheb]

I'm not so sure. He went there and broke their laws. Would it be human right abuse if a NK tourist got arrested for smoking weed in Washington DC?

[Sirus]

Which law? Has NK released any statements about why he is imprisoned? The CNN interview with Rodman implied that no-one knows what sort of law he broke.

[Sheb]

But that was a few days ago. Apparently the charge is something like "Threatening the state by spreading religious lies" or something like that. So yeah, apparently going to NK to spread things contrary to the official ideology ain't legal there, surprise, surprise.

[Guardian G.I.]

But that was a few days ago. Apparently the charge is something like "Threatening the state by spreading religious lies" or something like that. So yeah, apparently going to NK to spread things contrary to the official ideology ain't legal there, surprise, surprise.

KCNA's report on his trial:

American Citizen Punished in DPRK
Pyongyang, May 2 (KCNA) -- A trial of Pae Jun Ho, an American citizen, took place held at the Supreme Court of the DPRK on April 30. He was arrested while committing hostile acts against the DPRK after entering Rason City as a tourist on Nov. 3 last year.

The Supreme Court sentenced him to 15 years of compulsory labor for this crime.

[Sheb]

Apparently he was caught with an hard drive showing picture of starving North Korean orphans. Ok, he might have been more courageous than stupid. I'm starting to like the guy.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I'm not surprised they'd crack down on that. The information age and totalitarian states don't seem to get along very well.

[wierd]

Glorious Leader NEEDS his cult of personality to stay in power.

Why, just think what would happen if the people started questioning if Glorious Leader's dad HADN'T actually invented fusion? Why, there could be riots in the streets!

Glorious leader provides for the people! How could that terrible man lie about glorious leader like that?

(Feels sickened from entering that thought mode.)

[Chaoswizkid]

Again, you can say he could've acted smarter and not gone and I won't dispute that, but any *blame* still resides entirely on NK.

The very definition of victim blaming is placing responsibility for someone's bad actions on the target of their actions.

I don't think anyone's going "The NK are totally cool to do this, it's that darned missionary guy that brought this upon himself!" They're saying both "The NK is a horrible totalitarian state that oppresses people and unjustly (in the eyes of the world) imprisons people" and that "He really should have known better."

Self-preservationism is a thing, and when someone doesn't exercise it enough or ignores the obvious repercussions, I think it's fair to have people call them out on it.
Unless he didn't go there for missionary work and his primary goal was to actually bring to light human rights abuse and the like for real international response and change for the people. Then that guy took a big risk and he lost, which sucks because I would have been rooting for him.

[Sheb]

He was actually a tour operator organizing tours in North Korea before there, and used to opportunity to smuggle pictures out and conduct missionary work.