What is the story with Matthew Miller Todd?

[shcisamax]

He is one of the two who returned from N. Korea. Many months back, it was reported he arrived in N. Korea, tore up his tourist visa, and announced he was seeking asylum. Unlike the other freed American who was there for two years, he has not been interviewed. Anyone know what the story behind this is?

[graciegirl]

I don't know but my antennae went up. He seemed detached and unresponsive to family members. He might be mentally ill.

I don't know WHY he was there, or WHY he and the other man was rescued at just this time.

[tomwed]

He is one of the two who returned from N. Korea. Many months back, it was reported he arrived in N. Korea, tore up his tourist visa, and announced he was seeking asylum. Unlike the other freed American who was there for two years, he has not been interviewed. Anyone know what the story behind this is?


according to the Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Miller, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., was serving a six-year prison sentence on charges of espionage, after allegedly ripping up his tourist visa at the airport in Pyongyang in April and requesting asylum. North Korea said Mr. Miller wanted to experience prison life to secretly investigate North Korea’s human rights climate.

Matthew Todd Miller, a 24-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., was arrested in April after entering North Korea on a privately-organized tour. According to North Korea’s state media, Mr. Miller ripped up his visa when he arrived in Pyongyang and said that he was seeking asylum. Instead, the North imprisoned him and sentenced him to six years of hard labor, saying that he wanted to become a “second Snowden” by investigating North Korea’s prison system -- a reference to Edward Snowden, the U.S. intelligence contractor who became a fugitive after leaking classified government documents.

Mr. Miller, who during a September television interview, said that he was being treated humanely but was being kept in isolation. Mr. Miller’s family has not issued any public statements on his imprisonment, but a Reuters report found that Mr. Miller, whose brother was serving in the U.S. military, based in South Korea, may have sparked his fascination with the country. Mr. Miller came to South Korea and taught English, before seeking to travel to the North.

for more click here
Americans Matthew Todd Miller And Kenneth Bae Return to U.S. After Being Freed by North Korea - WSJ - WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-releases-2-detained-americans-1415461286)

[graciegirl]

Hmmmm. It's kinda like the people who need to scale mountains and then have to be rescued.

I don't understand any of it. No one I ever knew had the money or the time or the interest to examine other country's prison systems.

[tomwed]

Hmmmm. It's kinda like the people who need to scale mountains and then have to be rescued.

I don't understand any of it. No one I ever knew had the money or the time or the interest to examine other country's prison systems.

I think I watch too many movies. Maybe he was a spy and this is the cover story. I know I would still get nervous if a nun entered the room and shut the door behind her.

[shcisamax]

Hmmmm. It's kinda like the people who need to scale mountains and then have to be rescued.

I don't understand any of it. No one I ever knew had the money or the time or the interest to examine other country's prison systems.

Was he even an investigative reporter? Yes, who says: Let me go to North Korea and spend my time in their prison for an expose." As a very eloquent man once said, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"

[Sandtrap328]

How about just saying he is somewhat unbalanced and leave it at that. Basicall, it looks as though North Korea did not want to spend the money it would take to keep him in prison.

The other one was also going to cost money with the medical issues he has.

North Korea just said "it is not worth their upkeep to keep them in prison - send them back where they came from."

[shcisamax]

Did you glean that from what was written or did you see it written that he is unbalanced? I would actually feel better about it if it was confirmed he was unbalanced. Although it would stand to reason anyone who wants to defect to North Korea must not be really balanced. Rather poor critical thinking.

As for them not wanting to pay to keep them in prison, so they were released, well, I think there is a little more going on here than that.

[Sandtrap328]

Did you glean that from what was written or did you see it written that he is unbalanced? I would actually feel better about it if it was confirmed he was unbalanced. Although it would stand to reason anyone who wants to defect to North Korea must not be really balanced. Rather poor critical thinking.

As for them not wanting to pay to keep them in prison, so they were released, well, I think there is a little more going on here than that.

Yes, it is my belief he must be a few bricks short of a full load. Ripping up your visa and demanding asylum in North Korea is not rational of a normal American.

If you can come up with better possibilities for the North Koreans to return two prisoners - one a looneytune and one in bad health, it would be most interesting to hear. Eh?

[shcisamax]

One possibility from what I have heard reported on CNN and CNBC is the the UN is considering taking action against North Korea for its humanitarian abuses and crimes. For that reason, the theory goes, Kim is making "gestures".
I cannot imagine Kim is all that altruistic as to care about taking care of someone's health or even so fiscally responsible as to worry about the cost of taking care of two prisoners. It's a weird place and Kim operates in his own irrational way.

[blueash]

I think they were released to prevent Dennis Rodman from making any more visits to North Korea

[CFrance]

I think they were released to prevent Dennis Rodman from making any more visits to North Korea
And that's a good thing.

I too think there must be something going on here that we don't know about. The North Koreans are starving their own people, for Pete's sake, and don't seem to care. Why would they care about the health of three US hostages? Wouldn't they just let them languish? Some pressure that "counts" for them must be being put on them.

[PennBF]

He could either live in California, pay their taxes, compete with illegals for jobs, risk another earthquake, be fearful of fires and so on. Or go to N.Korea. He made his decision. Of course he never saw The Villages or he would be here.:shrug:

[tomwed]

I think they were released to prevent Dennis Rodman from making any more visits to North Korea
that's pretty funny