Christian Human Rights Activist Detained by North Korea

On Christmas Day, a U.S. Christian human-rights activist, Robert Park, 29, illegally sauntered across the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea to promote better rights and conditions for the Korean people.


Robert Park at Dec. 9 rally in Seoul
The North Koreans immediately took Park into custody for questioning.

A US citizen of Korean ancestry, Park claimed he had seen a vision from God of North Korea's liberation and redemption, his colleagues said, adding that he crossed the border shouting "I came here to proclaim God's love".

Park, from Tuscon, Arizona, carried a letter calling for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to release political prisoners, shut concentration camps and take steps to improve rights and conditions, his colleagues said.

Neither the North Koreans nor the U.S. Embassy in Seoul have commented on the incident.

Notably, comparisons will likely be made regarding the treatment of the Robert Park case with respect to the handling of the case involving two female U.S. journalists earlier this year. Journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were sentenced to 12 years hard labor for sauntering into North Korea. Fortunately, they were freed after a tremendous amount of international publicity and the involvement of former President Bill Clinton.

I'll make a wild guess and suggest that Park's case won't receive attention comparable to the Lee/Ling case.