An American citizen who disappeared in China might have been captured by North Korean security officials, according to a pair of Republican lawmakers.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chris Stewart want President Trump to be apprised of the case in the run-up to his meeting with newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The South Korean leader is interested in engaging with North Korea and China following years of escalating tension on the peninsula under the leadership of a U.S.-friendly president who was undone by a corruption scandal.
“It is in our best interest to begin cultivating a strong relationship with the new administration in Seoul to address common concerns,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter released late Monday. “Among these is the safety and security of our citizens in the region amid threats from malign state and non-state actors who wish to threaten Americans and disrupt commerce.”
The missing man, a Brigham Young University student named David Sneddon, disappeared while hiking in China in 2004. “We believe the US government should consider the possibility that the North Korean government was responsible for David’s disappearance and his potential captivity should be considered as it continues to investigate this case,” the lawmakers wrote.
They base that suspicion on a South Korean agency “that specializes in North Korean abductions” that reported the regime is forcing Sneddon to teach English. “The North Korean government has forced this task on previous American captives,” Lee and Smith noted.
Their letter and Trump’s meeting with Moon come the week after the death of Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was arrested in North Korea for apparently stealing a propaganda poster. Warmbier was in a coma when he was released and died soon after his return to the United States. Trump faulted former President Barack Obama’s team for failing to secure his release.
“It’s a disgrace what happened to Otto. It’s a total disgrace what happened to Otto. It should never, ever be allowed to happen,” Trump said. “And frankly, if he were brought home sooner, I think the results would have been a lot different.”
