![\"38th](\"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/38th-parallel.jpg\")
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It\u2019s not adventuresome, cool, or cute. But that\u2019s the way many people who travel to North Korea view their irresponsible and selfish decisions\u00a0to defy the US State Department\u2019s\u00a0travel warnings for\u00a0the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea (DPRK).<\/p>\n
One of my friends visited the reclusive, draconian country a few years ago and told me,\u00a0\u201cI just\u00a0wanted to go somewhere most people have\u00a0never been. It was an adventure.”<\/p>\n
It was also very foolish. Not only did he almost certainly contribute to a revenue stream that helps develop Kim Jong-un\u2019s nuclear and weapons’ programs, but he also took a chance that he and his family would suffer the same fate\u00a0as University of Virginia student Otto\u00a0Warmbier and his parents.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old\u00a0Warmbier\u00a0has returned to the States after spending over a year in a North Korean prison. His\u00a0\u201cadventure\u201d is over. So, too, are his days as a\u00a0healthy, young American. He\u2019s been in a coma for over a year – or at least that\u2019s what Kim Jong-un\u2019s\u00a0henchmen are telling us. His doctors haven\u2019t issued a statement yet, but his prognosis is grim. Let’s hope he beats the odds.<\/p>\n
Living in a free, open, and democratic society that operates under the rule of law, we forget that many\u00a0people –\u00a0Chinese, Russians, and Syrians, to name a few\u00a0– only dream of such\u00a0privileges.<\/p>\n
Watching\u00a0last year’s\u00a0Associated Press video clip of Mr. Warmbier pleading for his life\u00a0and crying\u00a0in front of a North Korean court, after being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, is gut wrenching. Knowing\u00a0that he now lies in a Cincinnati, Ohio hospital bed in a\u00a0vegetative\u00a0state is even more\u00a0disturbing. Just the\u00a0thought<\/em>\u00a0of being a prisoner of a tyrannical regime\u00a0controlled by a psychopathic killer terrifies most of us.\u00a0We can’t even imagine what he went through.<\/p>\n But if you want an idea, try reading the 2012 Pulitzer-Prize winning What\u00a0now\u00a0happens in the wake of Otto Warmbier\u2019s tragic story?<\/p>\n Yesterday, The Washington Post editorial board defiantly wrote,\u00a0\u201cNorth Korea\u2019s\u00a0outrageous mistreatment of a US student must not go unpunished.\u201d They propose\u00a0putting more\u00a0sanctions and pressure on a small group of Chinese companies\u00a0that supply much needed cash to Pyongyang.\u00a0The Chinese government must also do its part,\u00a0they\u00a0believe, and\u00a0“if\u00a0Beijing does not respond promptly the United States should act\u00a0unilaterally.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see. And in the meantime, pray for Otto and his family.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top photo: Panmunjon “Truce Village” located in the DMZ on the border between North and South Korea; photo credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n Bottom photo: Otto Warmbier pleading for his life; photo credit: The Washington Post (Korean Central News Agency \/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s not adventuresome, cool, or cute. But that\u2019s the way many people who travel to North Korea view their irresponsible and selfish decisions\u00a0to defy the US State Department\u2019s\u00a0travel warnings for\u00a0the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea (DPRK). One of my friends visited the reclusive, draconian country a few years ago and told me,\u00a0\u201cI just\u00a0wanted to go…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[68,67,64,66,65],"class_list":["post-565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-events","tag-adam-johnson","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-north-korea","tag-otto-warmbier","tag-uva"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/orphan-masters-son-150x150.jpg\")
novel,\u00a0The Orphan Master\u2019s Son,\u00a0<\/em>by Adam Johnson. It’s probably the closest you\u2019ll get\u00a0to the real thing. The book is a powerful, frightening, and unforgettable glimpse into North Korea. It should be required reading for\u00a0those\u00a0contemplating a visit to Kim Jong-un\u2019s horror house or anyone curious about the totalitarian government and its oppressive gulags.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/otto.jpeg\")
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