85-year-old California Man Arrested In North Korea
Bad news for anyone planning their holiday vacation in North Korea (and there are some!) The U.S. State Department has warned U.S. citizens from traveling to North Korea, amid reports that an 85-year-old man has been detained by North Korea.
The San Jose Mercury News reports the man is an 85-year-old grandfather from Palo Alto named Merrill Newman. He was grabbed off his plane on which he was about to leave the country after visiting the country with a Beijing-based tour business, according to the Mercury News. He's been detained for more than three weeks.
The news comes as Kenneth Bae, a Washington-based preacher, is still in prison after being sentenced to 15 years at a labor camp for "hostile acts" against the government, which apparently had to do with undermining the North Korean Government by spreading Christianity. NKNews points out that despite the State Dept. warning, a much-publicized trip by two D.C. rappers, Pacman and Peso is going on as a planned.
If you need to make alternate travel arrangements to one of America's enemies, may we suggest Iran?
[Image via Getty]