Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
The most recent foreigner to have his stay in North Korea unexpectedly lengthened after visiting as part of a tour is a 75-year-old Australian missionary named John Short, whom police detained after apparently finding Korean-language gospel tracts on him. North Korea considers non-state-sanctioned religious activity to be subversive, and last year sentenced American evangelist Kenneth Bae to 15 years hard labor. Short’s wife told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she’s been informed the charges are serious, but because Australia doesn’t have diplomatic ties with North Korea, “this is an out-of-the-ordinary case for us.”
