And I deliberately committed my crime. But he didnt elaborate on what his crime was. American citizen Matthew Miller is escorted by a North Korean soldier to a telephone booth at a hotel in the capital Pyongyang, where he was allowed to make a call to his family. Millers family lives in Bakersfield, California, and has not spoken to the press. Two other Americans, Kenneth Bae and Jeffrey Fowle remain detained in North Korea. Bae, who's from Lynnwood, Washington, is a Korean . Most Americans who get arrested in North Korea are missionaries who weigh up the risks of spreading Christian belief in an aggressively atheistic state and who get caught - for example Robert Park, who entered North Korea illicitly in December 2009, and was released two months later, protesting he would rather be martyred. He damaged his visa on the flight and attempted to claim asylum - and he has now told a specialist website. U.S. officials revealed in April 2015 that Warren Weinstein, a 73-year-old American aid worker that had been held hostage in Pakistan since August 2011, One of three Americans detained in North Korea, Jeffrey Edward Fowle was released and sent home, a State Department official told CNN in October 2014. So Miller was immersed in a fantastic underworld, but it's more Mad Hatter's Tea Party than James Bond. North Korea was set to indict two Americans for carrying out "hostile acts" against the reclusive nation, state media reported on Monday. A North Korean court has sentenced an ethnic Korean U.S . She and her husband, Gary, were traveling from Mexico back to the United States when their bus was stopped and searched. There has also been at least one case of an American blundering into the country. Miller is a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School, according to CNN affiliate KBAK. 8:08 AM EDT, Thu September 25, 2014. A few classmates told CNN that Miller seemed like an average kid. U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller (2nd R) sits in a witness box during his trial at the North Korean Supreme Court in Pyongyang September 14, 2014, in this photo released by Kyodo.. N. Korea: American sentenced to hard labor, Inside CNN's N. Korean prisoner interviews, Story behind CNN's North Korea interviews. The company offers tours despite U.S. State Department warnings that U.S. citizens have been subject to arbitrary arrest and detention in North Korea. In the interview, Miller also said he told officials he possessed military secrets, and that the North Koreans knew his brother was an F-35 test pilot for the US Air Force but didn't seem to care. Video still showing Matthew Miller in North Korea on 24 September. [6], On November 8, 2014, Miller was released after eight months in North Korea, and allowed to leave along with one additional American prisoner, Kenneth Bae, thanks to an intervention by James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence. The North Korean government surprised CNN by presenting Miller and two other detained Americans Kenneth Bae and Jeffrey Edward Fowle for interviews. "I think it was a mistake, but it was successful.". 2. The following month, the State Department urged Americans not to travel to North Korea because of the risk of detention. He told media he was being forced to dig in fields for eight hours a day. He told NK News that he repented his escapade, which came to an end after he appealed for help and the head of the US national intelligence services, James Clapper, arrived in the country to intercede. The American held in North Korea, Matthew Miller, begins his six-year sentence of hard labor on Thursday. He was released after his family paid the authorities $5,000 (3,200). North Korea said the American, Matthew Todd Miller of Bakersfield, Calif., committed the crime while entering the country on a tourist visa in April, according to the official Korean Central News . Gross says he was just trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet. It was, in a way, a trip to Wonderland - though not the kind most travellers would want. Now, he changes his mind? If he wanted asylum, whys he trying to get out? Kelly asked. He is shadowed by a uniformed North Korean guard throughout. Jailed since 2013 and sentenced to life for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Mohamed Soltan. Read about our approach to external linking. He also asked for amnesty for the men and for American Jeffrey Fowle. An American sentenced to six years of hard labor in North Korea said his life now oscillates between agricultural labor and isolation. Miller, both petroleum engineers, and is a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School. He damaged his visa on the flight and attempted to claim asylum - and he has now told a specialist website. Holladay said that U.S. citizens are discouraged from visiting the country. Matthew Miller was arrested in April, shortly after arriving as a tourist. So the seemingly unilateral release, this past weekend, of Kenneth Bae, a forty-six-year-old Korean-American missionary who was detained for more than two years, and Matthew Todd Miller, a. And I deliberately committed my crime.. [6], For other people named Matthew Miller, see, List of foreign nationals detained in North Korea, "North Korea sentences American Matthew Miller to 6 years of hard labor", "Matthew Miller: Trying to get jailed in North Korea", "North Korean Trial of American Raises Many Questions", "Matthew Miller's excellent adventure in North Korea", "American Held in North Korea Traveled Solo, Tour Firm Says", "North Korea Says It Will Put American on Trial", "North Korea sentences U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller to six years hard labor", "North Korea Sentences U.S. Man To 6 Years of Hard Labor", "RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS FROM NORTH KOREA", Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "US says North Korea releases 2 detained Americans", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthew_Todd_Miller&oldid=1054957953, American people imprisoned in North Korea, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Did you encounter any technical issues? Former President Jimmy Carter and New Mexico Gov. He said he wouldnt learn of his charges until he went to trial. Newman was. He damaged his visa on the flight and attempted to claim asylum - and he has now told a specialist website covering North Korea that he did his best to get arrested. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by insurgents in Afghanistan since 2009. North Korea has arrested Americans before, only to release them after a visit by a prominent dignitary. They are, after all, behind bars in one of the most despotic countries on the planet where the methods of punishment, as described by a UN inquiry, include "extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence". In April 2014, American Matthew Miller travelled to North Korea as a tourist. He was arrested for "unruly behaviour". The letters have been sent to Millers family in which he addressed Speaker of the House John Boehner, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama. Every US president would move heaven and earth to get the captive freed. The notes said, among other things, that he was a "hacker" intent on "removing the American military from South Korea". He perpetrated the above-said acts in the hope of becoming a world famous guy and the second Snowden through intentional hooliganism, state media said. U.S. Citizen Sentenced to Hard Labor in North Korea, North Korea Claims American Wanted to Become Next Snowden, North Korea Sentenced American to Six Years of Hard Labor, North Korea Will Put Detained American on Trial. Discovery Company. According to Miller, he achieved his goal while imprisoned. October Millers family lives in Bakersfield, California. In 2009, North Korea detained two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who . [1], Although earlier reports indicated that Miller sought political asylum in North Korea, the prosecution argued that this was a ruse intended to disguise Miller's real intention of committing espionage. Nevertheless, Miller says when he issued an apology as part of the court process, he did so with sincerity. Matthew Miller appears in an interview with APTV in North Korea, which was supervised by minders. Miller seems to be in a class of his own. KCNA described him as rudely behaved, saying he was sent to infiltrate prison as part of a United States campaign against North Korea. In April 2014, American Matthew Miller travelled to North Korea as a tourist. Matthew Miller, 24, entered North Korea as a tourist in early April. But what if the American captive wants to be there? Bill Richardson both traveled to Cuba on Gross' behalf. "I do feel guilt for the crime. The crime? September 26 - North Korea acknowledges that Kim Jong-un is suffering from "discomfort", after a three-week absence from state media photographs. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, detained in North Korea, have arrived back in the U.S. A North Korean government official released a photo of Miller, taken on. Millers case presents many questions, said Robert Kelly, an American who teaches International studies at Pusan National University in South Korea. Matthew Todd Miller (born August 26, 1989) [3] is an American citizen who was detained in North Korea (DPRK). Did you encounter any technical issues? NPR's Lynn Neary talks to Columbia University's Charles Armstrong about the importance of this sentencing. A court says Matthew Todd Miller committed "acts hostile" to North Korea He previously told CNN, "I deliberately committed my crime" That interview was monitored by the North Korean. [5], According to North Korean state-run media, Miller entered North Korea alone on April 10, 2014, on a tourist visa arranged by US-based tour operator Uri Tours. North Korea announced Fowle's detention in June of that year, saying he had violated the law by acting "contrary to the purpose of tourism." A North Korean government official released a photo of Miller, taken on Wednesday. Uri Tours has said it doesnt have any understanding of why Miller ripped up his visa. 2022 Cable News Network. Very soon, Im going to trial and I will directly be sent to prison. Cuban authorities say Gross tried to set up illegal Internet connections on the island. Early Monday, the U.S. State Department demanded that North Korea release Miller and fellow American prisoner Kenneth Bae. Its unclear whether his statements were made freely or under coercion. While Millers fate is now clear, the circumstances surrounding his alleged crime remain murky. "[1] He was released, along with Kenneth Bae, on November 8, 2014. Matthew Miller, 25, said he's written letters to U.S.. This is why the (U.S.) State Department encourages citizens not to go to North Korea.. She was released a few days later and is now back in the United States. He traveled to North Korea this year after arranging a private tour through the U.S.-based company Uri Tours, which takes tourists into North Korea. The American held in North Korea, Matthew Miller, begins his six-year sentence of hard labor on Thursday. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle, who were expected to . Saturday's report in the state-run Korean Central News. According to North Korea Travel, which documents arrests of foreigners in the hermit state, Korean-American Evan Hunziker swam across the Yalu river from China in 1996 for a bet and was found drunk and naked by North Korean famers. Other than that, it's isolation, no contact with anyone, Miller said in a closely supervised interview with The Associated Press, in which he appears with a shaved head and a loose-fitting grey prison clothes. He is the youngest of four sons of Bill and K.C. Updated Matthew Miller, an Americans detained in North Korea, received six years of hard labor. IE 11 is not supported. Fowle was accused of leaving a Bible in a hotel where he was staying. Two Americans released by N. Korea 01:14. [2][6] He later assessed that this material was never taken seriously by the North Korean authorities, prompting them to ask him the real reasons behind his visit. In June, NPR's Frank Langfitt reported that Fowle had "worked repairing streets in Ohio" and entered North Korea in April. Matthew Miller's excellent adventure in North Korea Exclusive interview with U.S. detainee reveals hurdles to getting arrested in North Korea Nate Thayer November 14, 2014 SHARE KCNA It's a story that begins with North Korea trying to refuse to imprison him, and ends with him going home on the personal airplane of America's top spy. This page was last edited on 13 November 2021, at 00:19. . I think this interview is my final chance to push the American government into helping me., How North Korea may be using U.S. detainees as bargaining chips. Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae, the two remaining American citizens who were imprisoned in North Korea, are now free and on their way home . After months in detention, he and fellow American detainee Matthew Todd Miller were, American journalist Peter Theo Curtis was, Alan Gross, at right with Rabbi Arthur Schneier, was jailed while working as a subcontractor in Cuba in December 2009. Shourd was released on bail for medical reasons in September 2010; she never returned to face her charges. I wasted a lot of time of the North Koreans and the Americans," he said. Discovery Company. Fowle, 56, was arrested in June while traveling as a tourist. North Korea's state-run news agency said, Josh Fattal, center; Sarah Shourd, left; and Shane Bauer were detained by Iran while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border in July 2009. appreciated. . Miller had brought a notebook into North Korea incorrectly claiming he was a computer hacker involved with WikiLeaks and having attempted to access files at U.S. military bases in South Korea. DPRK refers to North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Sixteen Americans were among the dozens arrested in December 2011 when Egypt raided the offices of 10 nongovernmental organizations that it said received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a public license. "I wrote the notebook in China just before going to North Korea," Miller told NK News. Matthew Todd Miller was convicted of committing "acts hostile" to North Korea and sentenced to six years of hard labor last week. For months he was held captive by the North Korean regime, not even sure what he would be charged with. Imprisoned American wanted to become second Snowden. My situation is very urgent, Miller told CNN. Shortly after the sentencing, a Reuters report revealed that Miller - aged 25, and originally from Bakersfield, California - had an obsession with Alice in Wonderland, the great work of Lewis Carroll, and had spent two years in South Korea. He told the website he wanted to find out what North Korea was like beyond the tourist trail. Journalists Laura Ling, center, and Euna Lee, to her left, spent 140 days in captivity after being charged with illegal entry to conduct a smear campaign. [2] He was sentenced to six years of hard labor on September 14, 2014, for committing "acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist." [1] [5], Miller was charged under Article 64 of the North Korean criminal code concerning acts of espionage, and was put on trial on September 14, 2014. State media said at the time he tore up his tourist visa. Mostly it's been agriculture, like in the dirt, digging around. Then in one fell swoop, American citizen Matthew Todd Miller was convicted of committing "acts hostile" to North Korea and sentenced to six years of hard labor, North Korean state-run. American Matthew Miller begins six-year sentence of hard labor Thursday, North Korea released photo of Miller in prison wear, Miller was convicted of committing "acts hostile" to North Korea, Miller called his family to ask for help on Wednesday. It was a crime. The US accuses North Korea of using Mr Miller and two other detained Americans as pawns in a diplomatic game. NEW: Washington calls for the immediate release of Miller and Kenneth Bae, A court says Matthew Todd Miller committed "acts hostile" to North Korea, He previously told CNN, "I deliberately committed my crime", That interview was monitored by the North Korean government. North Korea said Miller had wanted to . The U.S. State Department warns American citizens of arbitrary arrest and detention in North Korea. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much "My main fear was that they would not arrest me when I arrived," he said. 2. "He recruited a gaming programmer to produce music for him, artists to draw men dressed as Cheshire Cats, and a ghostwriter to help piece the whole thing, named 'Alice in Red', together, according to posts on the deviantArt website," Reuters reported. Mexican authorities arrested Yanira Maldonado, a U.S. citizen, right, in May 2013, for alleged drug possession. [6] Miller took a job teaching English and had learned some Korean in the process. Fowle told CNN: "I've admitted my guilt to the government and signed a statement to that effect and requested forgiveness from the people and the government of the DPRK. Miller told CNNs Will Ripley in a brief interview earlier this month in Pyongyang that he prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming here. As well as damaging his visa, he also produced a set of confused and confusing notes. Mr. Miller, 25, entered North Korea seven months ago and reportedly tore up his visa, and by some accounts sought asylum. He was swiftly convicted and sentenced to six years of hard labor (euphemistically termed "labor re-education") for committing "hostile acts". He has also written a letter imploring U.S. officials for help. Matthew Todd Miller (born August 26, 1989)[3] is an American citizen who was detained in North Korea (DPRK). In a short interview with CNN in September 2014, Bae said he is working eight hours a day, six days a week at a labor camp. Thin and pale, a black turtleneck-clad Matthew Miller sat in a somber courtroom where he was sentenced Sunday by North Korea's Supreme Court to six years of hard labor after a 90-minute show trial. [10][11] Miller later revealed that he was curious about the country and simply wanted to talk to North Korean people and ask them questions beyond what he could as a tourist. In the video, Miller is seen making a phone call and handwritten letters to his family and U.S. officials are shown. Miller is a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School, according to CNN affiliate KBAK. Its government is a communist dictatorship renowned for human rights abuses. As well as Lewis Carroll, he also admired George Orwell and Oscar Wilde. Coleman was pregnant when she was kidnapped and is believed to have had a child in captivity. The American held in North Korea, Matthew Miller, begins his six-year sentence of hard labor on Thursday. Miller was convicted of committing acts hostile to North Korea and sentenced earlier this month. He said he "just wanted to have a face-to-face with North Koreans to answer my personal questions". He didn't explain how getting arrested would help him meet North Koreans. Read about our approach to external linking. Personal envoys get sent - including, in the past, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Updated He was charged for "hostile acts" against the country while he was. North Korea has accused him of ripping up his visa on arrival to the country so he could go to prison and expose human rights violations there, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He traveled to North Korea this year after arranging a private tour through the U.S.-based company Uri Tours, which takes tourists into North Korea. allowed her a glimpse of daily life under the secretive regime, No survivors found in search after Jersey blast, Bodies of 27 people dumped by roadside in Zambia, Russian Nobel laureate 'told to turn down award', Top MEP arrested over alleged bribery by Gulf state, Four charged in EU Parliament corruption case. 2022 Cable News Network. He stated he was expecting to be tried imminently, and asked the United States government to send an envoy to intervene on his behalf. He sought imprisonment even when the North Koreans wanted to put him straight on a plane to send him home. Then in one fell swoop, American citizen Matthew Todd Miller was convicted of committing acts hostile to North Korea and sentenced to six years of hard labor, North Korean state-run media reported Sunday. CNNs Madison Park, Gabe LaMonica and Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report. Dressed in a blue-gray prison garment with the number 107 and his head shaved, Miller is seen with his eyes downcast, staring away from the camera. It was only after he was sentenced in September to six years' hard labour that he was transferred to a more conventional prison facility - "kind of a farm place" as he put it, to NK News. Matthew Miller, 25, said hes written letters to U.S. officials from Michelle Obama to current and former secretaries of state John Kerry and Hillary Clinton asking for help. Robert Becker, right, lok hancocks north korea american sentenced_00003024.jpg, will ripley on north korean prisoners_00031403.jpg, pkg ripley north korea behind scenes_00001009.jpg, University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier, was convicted by an Iranian Revolutionary Court, detained while visiting relatives in Tehran, had been accidentally killed in a U.S. drone strike, detained in October 2013 by North Korean authorities, told CNNs Will Ripley in a brief interview. Fellow American Kenneth Bae was also released, having been held in N Korea since 2012, North Koreans visit Kumsusan Palace, where Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-Il are both enshrined. Initially North Korean authorities had refused to arrest him and sought to return him on the next flight, but Miller refused. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. He told reporters that he was being treated well while in custody, though the Associated Press noted the possibility that his comments may have been coerced. In short, during the two years Preston Somerset spent in South Korea, he appeared an unlikely spy. He was charged with unruly behavior, and North Korean officials. He had travelled to North Korea intending to get arrested. An American sentenced to six years of hard labor in North Korea said his life now oscillates between agricultural labor and isolation. North Korea claimed Bae was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. [8], Speaking from an undisclosed location in North Korea on August 1, 2014, Miller was permitted to give interviews to two American news organizations. That the. A North Korean court has sentenced an ethnic Korean U.S. citizen to 10 years in prison for what it called acts of espionage. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. All Rights Reserved. Photo: AP Subscribe to the WSJ channel here: http://bit.ly/14Q81Xy Visit. Revolutionary therapy clears girl's incurable cancer, 'Brutal - this England exit is even more painful', The plotters who wanted to take over Germany, 'If I wasn't Hispanic, I'd have had a different career', Bankman-Fried: I hope to make money to pay people back, The seven-day-a-week life of a maid in Qatar, Inside the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Germany. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the 24-year-old arrived in North Korea as a tourist on April 10 and ripped up his tourist visa, shouted his desire to seek asylum and said he came to the DPRK after choosing it as a shelter.. According to the court, Miller admitted to having the "wild ambition" of experiencing conditions in prison to secretly investigate and expose the country's dim human rights situation. He was eventually, This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. North Korea sentenced U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller to six years hard labor for committing "hostile acts" as a tourist to the country, a statement carried by state media said on Sunday, as the . appreciated. [4][5] The Associated Press reported that Miller went to South Korea in 2010 to visit one of his brothers, an F-35 test pilot, who was stationed there at the time with the United States Air Force. In 2013, Juliet Rix found an organised tour allowed her a glimpse of daily life under the secretive regime. They were, Detained in April 2011, Eddie Yong Su Jun, Without any apparent U.S. intervention, Robert Park was released by North Korea in 2010. On the other hand, he said, he spent five months having conversations "with various people" and did achieve his goal of seeing more of North Korea. ", In May 2013, a North Korean court sentenced Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the state. Before being sent to prison, Miller asked his family for help in a phone call on Wednesday, according to a source. Bauer and Fattal were convicted in August 2011, but the next month they were, Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, was detained at Iran's Evin Prison, spending months in solitary confinement before. Sun 14 Sep 2014 06.42 EDT North Korea has sentenced an American citizen to six years of hard labour for entering the country illegally and committing "hostile acts" against the secretive state.. Many of the employees posted bail and left the country after a travel ban was lifted a few months later. Most of the country's tourism comes from neighbouring China, Most travel operators say visas are granted freely to any Westerner who is not a journalist, In 2013, officials loosened some curbs by allowing visitors to bring their mobile phones into North Korea, but mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals are prohibited. NK News, a respected website which interviewed Miller over several days by email, paints a picture of a "curious tourist" who went on an extreme holiday. All Rights Reserved. Matthew Miller who was freed on 8 November is proving to be an intriguing case of the man who chose to defect - though he later changed his mind. In a July interview, a neighbor told The Associated Press that Miller went to South Korea about four years ago to visit his brother and that he found a job teaching English. The Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, secured their re. A Warner Bros. The White House, U.S. tourist and Korean War veteran Merrill Newman arrives at the Beijing airport on December 7, 2013, after being released by North Korea. Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran, Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen of Iranian birth, was, Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine charged with spying, was, Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based businessman with dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship, was. North Korea is a difficult place for journalists to visit, but tourists are welcome so long as they do what they are told. There is a ritual to be gone through when North Korea imprisons the citizens of the United States. North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced Matthew Miller, a 24-year-old American, to six years of hard labor on Sunday. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. [7] Initial reports said that he tore up the visa upon arrival at the airport and declared his intent to seek political asylum. Each five-minute interview was monitored by the government. Iran charged them with illegal entry and espionage. Matthew Miller, 24, tore up his tourist visa when he arrived to North Korea, says KCNA His family has not commented and asked others not to speak to media He faces trial on September 14. [2] He was sentenced to six years of hard labor on September 14, 2014, for committing "acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist. Kim Dong Chul, center, a U.S. citizen detained in North Korea, is escorted to his trial Friday, April 29, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. [9] Miller had no lawyer during the 90-minute hearing, described as a "show trial" by The Washington Post, and authorities indicated that there was no possibility of appeal. He had travelled to North Korea intending to get arrested. Matthew Miller of Bakersfield, California, and Kenneth Bae of Lynnwood, Washington, arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord around 9pm PST (0500 GMT). [12][13], After returning to the U.S., Miller told reporters he went to North Korea intending to get arrested, stating that "My main fear was that they would not arrest me when I arrived". But Miller didnt elaborate on what his crime was. But months later, on 10 April, the same person, whose name was revealed to be Matthew Miller . "Right now what I can say to my friends and family is, continue to pray for me," he said. Mothers Linda Boyle, left, and Lyn Coleman hold photo of their married children, Joshua Boyle and Caitlin Coleman, who were kidnapped by the Taliban in late 2012. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Details about where hell serve his sentence or what labor he will be required to do were not released. A Warner Bros. A North Korean government official released a photo of Miller, taken on. "Perhaps the notebook was a little too much over the top, they instantly knew it was false and wanted to know my true purpose of visiting." He says he was tortured, and continues to suffer serious mental trauma to this day. Matthew Todd Miller was raised in Bakersfield, California. He had an alter ego - Preston Somerset - a name he used when he commissioned art works illustrating scenes from Carroll's book. Matthew Miller, sentenced to six years' hard labor in North Korea, said when he's not working "it's isolation, no contact with anyone.". Prison life is eight hours of work per day. Matthew Miller, 24, who tore up his visa upon arrival in North Korea, waived his right to a lawyer; court claimed he wanted to go to prison Earlier this month, Miller told CNNs Will Ripley that he prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming here. Two said they barely remembered him because he was so quiet. 6:29 AM EDT, Mon September 15, 2014, N. Korea: American sentenced to hard labor, Kim Dong Chul, center, a U.S. citizen detained in North Korea, is escorted to his trial Friday, April 29, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. In April 2014, American Matthew Miller travelled to North Korea as a tourist. Close friends and neighbors told CNN they were instructed by the family not to speak to reporters. When the North Koreans agreed not to deport him, he was held not in some Stalinist gulag but at a big hotel, and then in a guest house - admittedly, under lock and key - where a number of other people including fellow American Kenneth Bae were also living. North Korea said Miller had wanted to experience prison life so that he could secretly investigate North Korea's human rights situation. The Christian missionary crossed into North Korea from China, carrying a letter asking Kim Jong Il to free political prisoners and resign. Matthew Miller, 24, was convicted on 14 September of entering the country illegally to commit espionage. The charges for which he (Miller) and the other detained U.S. citizens were arrested and imprisoned would not give rise to arrest or imprisonment in the United States or in many other countries around the world, said spokesman Darby Holladay. Why is Matthew Miller in N. Korean prison? Miller cited steampunk, a genre of science fiction, as a favourite of his. 2022 BBC. Miller, from Bakersfield, California and in his mid-20s, entered North Korea in April this year whereupon he tore up his tourist visa and demanded Pyongyang grant him asylum, according to a. Acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist. Why? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Its unclear whether his statements were made freely or under coercion. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon), lok hancocks north korea american sentenced_00003024.jpg. World North Korea Human rights On Sunday, 24-year-old American Matthew Miller was sentenced to six years of hard labor by North Korea's Supreme Court. Photograph: AP He had also provided Uri Tours -. Miller was arrested in North Korea on April 10 and sentenced on Sept. 14 for what Pyongyang called hostile acts." He was. Matthew Miller, 24, tore up his tourist visa when he arrived to North Korea, says KCNA His family has not commented and asked others not to speak to media He faces trial on September 14. September 14 - North Korea holds a trial for American tourist Matthew Todd Miller who was detained in April and sentences him to six years of hard labor. 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