On Saturday, North Korea’s state-run news agency announced that a South Korean NYU student has been detained in the country. Twenty-one-year-old Joo Won-moon, who, the New York Times reports, has a United States green card, was reportedly arrested on April 22. NYU spokesperson John Beckman told the Times that Joo is a junior at the Stern School of Business. However, Beckman said that “he is not taking classes this semester, and the university was unaware of his travels.”
Joo has been charged with illegally entering North Korea from Dandong, China. (Reuters explains, “Dandong is home to many ethnic Korean Chinese traders who deal with both North and South Korean businessmen. It is also home to South Korean and western Christian missionaries trying to operate in North Korea.”) According to North Korea, Joo has admitted to breaking the law, and his case is currently under investigation.
