Arturo Pierre Martinez, a 29-year-old from Texas, is now in North Korea after he illegally entered the country and began telling DPRK authorities about American imperialism in Latin America and UFOs.
Martinez, who was previously held in a psychiatric hospital in California after he was caught trying to swim into the DPRK via the Han River in South Korea, apparently entered the country from China. It is not known exactly how he snuck into the North, but it is possible that he crossed the Yalu River from Dadong. The Telegraph reports that Martinez paid for his flight to China with a payday loan almost immediately after leaving the psychiatric institution.
Martinez was quickly found upon entering the DPRK, and proceeded to tell North Korean officials that he had to "pass along some very valuable and disturbing information," and that the North needed to defend itself against the USA, which is "criminally plundering entire nations." According to Bloomberg, Martinez then "went on to link the U.S. to the economic crisis in Latin America in the 1980s and unidentified flying objects in the Nevada desert."
According to CBS news, Martinez "has not been put into custody," and is instead being featured on TV as a tool of anti-American propaganda, while also "seeking asylum in Venezuela" for some reason (at this point you just want to tell him, "Dude, there are easier ways to get to Venezuela.")
Martinez's case is both very different from - and similar to - would-be defector Matthew Miller who was arrested in the DPRK after tearing up his visa upon entry earlier this year. There is no word yet on when (or if) Martinez will leave the DPRK.
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