Jeffrey Fowle arrested in North Korea after leaving Bible in bathroom
North Korean authorities arrested U.S. tourist Jeffrey Fowle for leaving a copy of the Bible in the toilet at a restaurant during his 10-day visit to that country, a source now reports on Aug. 3.
Jeffrey Fowle is the latest American detained in North Korea
Fowle, 56, from Ohio, left a bilingual English-Korean Bible in a restaurant, Chongjin Seamen’s Club, in the North Korean city of Chongjin just before he and his fellow travelers were about to leave the country. An anonymous source detailed the case to Reuters, noting that the Bible that Fowle left behind carried his name and phone number, and photos of himself and his family
The Bible was wrapped in a Chinese newspaper and lying under a bin meant for discarding used toilet paper by aged people. It was found by a cleaner who reported it to authorities. Fowle later told his guides he dropped his Bible while using the restroom, but the Bible was too big for his pocket, the source corrected.
Fowle was arrested at the airport while he was leaving North Korea. He is awaiting trial.
Fowle and another U.S. tourist Matthew Miller, who was later arrested on separate charges, have requested the U.S. government to help secure their release, according to The Associated Press.
North Korea is not only a brutal dictatorship, but is considered the worst country in the world for persecuting Christians. Since its formation in 1948, the country is ruled by one party, the Korea Worker’s Party, and led by one family, the Kims.
Humanitarian reports note that there are at least 100,000 Christians in that nation’s harsh prison camps, where prisoners face torture, forced labor and possible execution, Christian groups say.
American Christian Kenneth Bae, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, remains in a labor camp, where he was moved from a hospital in January amid grave concerns about his health.
Bae, who was arrested in the city of Rajin on Nov. 3, 2012, continues to be the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea since the end of the war in 1953. More on Bae, check out the top stories here on The Dispatch, click here.
A 75-year-old Australian missionary, John Short, who was arrested in North Korea in February allegedly due to his Christian work, was released by authorities in early March.
[…] The Bible was wrapped in a Chinese newspaper and lying under a bin meant for discarding used toilet paper by aged people. It was found by a cleaner who reported it to authorities. Fowle later told his guides he dropped his Bible while using the restroom, but the Bible was too big for his pocket, the source corrected. [The Global Dispatch] […]