What Would You Do If You Were A Hostage In North Korea?

In the news lately, we have seen a lot of stuff about Otto Warmbier, a college student that was taken as hostage in North Korea after accusations of stealing a Kim Jong Un poster from an unauthorized floor at the Yanggakdo Hotel. He was in jail for a year, and North Korea is notorious for its harsh prison systems and treatment of prisoners. He was also forced to read a statement at his trial disparaging and blaming the United States for his alleged deed, which is usual for other hostages. If you were a hostage, would you admit to any crime if they accused you of any? Would you resist? Would you do what you need to survive, including making coerced statements? I believe moments like these can test our limits as human beings. Interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

I wouldn't have put myself in that position. I'm not blaming Otto Warmbier for what happened (he could not have suspected how disproportionate the authorities reaction would be) but putting yourself in a situation where you spend any time in North Korean police custody is a major lapse in judgment.
My heart felt sympathy goes out to his family.

If you are completely in someone's power like Mr Warmbier was there is little point in resisting, no shame in making whatever statement they force you to. The brutality of the North Korean security force is legendary and the duress that they can exert goes far beyond anything you can imagine. All you can do is try to survive with your sanity.

 

I watched the trial video and have seen where he was profusely apologising. What still confuses me to this day is that some people said even the apology part may have been a forced script, that is he was forced to read and not necessarily out of his own volition. He was saying that someone back home ask him to get the poster and I wonder why would a sane, adult as otto wambier, if true, agree to such a deadly mission knowing fully well those North Koreans got no chill whatsoever.

 

At times like this, it wouldn't mattee anymore what is right or wrong to do. What only matters is you do what needs to be done in order to survive such situation. Of course, if I was in North Korean territory and I was accused for some crime I did not do, there is not much hope to prove that I am innocent. Instead, I would just comply to what they want me to do. I would not resist and even if it meant "betraying" my country, I will do what I need to survive. I firmly believe that in this world, it's every man for himself.

 

It's too hard to imagine that situation of being a hostage much more in North Korea. I had read an article purporting to the torture that North Korean agents do to their captives. And if they would inflict physical torture on me then probably I would have no choice but to admit whatever they would want me to admit as long as it will stop the torture on my person.

 

It seems like going to visit in a country as dangerous as North Korea was not a very smart thing to do in the first place, and then stealing something made it even more dangerous. It is sad about what happened to him, and we may never know the whole truth of what went on while Otto Warmbier was a prisoner in North Korea ; but a person needs to think about these kinds of possibilities before they travel to any other country where they are not a citizen.
A while back, we had one of our former marines, Sgt. Tahmooressi , who took a wrong turn and ended up in Mexico, and was then arrested and imprisoned because he had weapons in the vehicle.
He was kept there in prison for months, while our president ignored the whole situation, and was finally released ,mainly do to the efforts of Greta Van Susteren and backing from Donald Trump, who also sent thousands of dollars to Tahmooressi to help him re-establish his life once he was rescued and brought back home.
And all of this happened, not in a hostile country like North Korea, but in our next door neighbor to the south, Mexico, with whom were supposedly have friendly relations.
As far as making a forced statement, I think that this is the most sensible thing to do in the circumstances that Warmier was in.
Most of the time, everyone knows that this was a forced confession, and maybe even lies, so the only people who believe it are probably the ones in the country where he was imprisoned.
I am sure that he had hopes that his own country would make the effort to rescue him, and staying alive to be rescued makes good sense in his case; it just didn't happen like it should have happened.

 

It just goes to show you when you leave your own country and go to another you better abide by there rules it really sucks that he got a death sentence out of what would have been a slap on the wrist here in the states don't do stupid stuff abroad there was a kid 10 or 12 years ago that deface something in China or Japan from the states and they were going to cane him don't do stupid stuff in another country.

 

Sadly comunism is tragic, I live in Romania which used to be a comunist country and the stories my parents told me are harsh. They used to sit in line for hours for a piece of bread and a bottle of water and everything they said and did were under a microscope. I would probably do what the government says in that case, I wouldn't want to die or be tortured in a prison cell for opposing them.

 

It depends on your beliefs and the level of your commitment to them. I am a staunch Christian and would take this opportunity to die a profitable death by not acquiscing to these demands. There is clever way in light to this. I would pretend to be a complete fool.

 

Pretend?......that is possibly the most foolish, insensitive and unchristian post that I have read in a long time