Staying with the story
The Dayton Daily News has reported on North Korea’s detainment of West Carrollton resident Jeffrey Fowle for nearly six months, providing breaking news updates and in-depth reports of his plight.
A West Carrollton man is expected to return to Ohio today after being released from North Korea and boarding a U.S. military plane to leave the country that detained him for more than five months.
The State Department’s announcement of Jeffrey Fowle’s release by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea came as a welcome surprise to some who had worked to secure his freedom after his early May arrest for leaving a Bible at a nightclub.
It also brought to a close extensive efforts for the release of the 56-year-old Beavercreek High School graduate and former city of Moraine employee, who was one of three Americans detained by a country with which the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations.
“Jeff is coming home,” said Fowle’s attorney, Tim Tepe, noting that Fowle should be back in Ohio today. “I’ve spoken with (his wife) and excitement is probably an understatement. She is overwhelmingly excited and can’t wait for him to be back home officially at this point.”
An airplane from the U.S. Department of Defense picked up Fowle before flying to Guam, said State Department Deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said. He was “evaluated by doctors and was in good health,” she said.
Fowle’s wife, Tatyana, and the couple’s three children — Alex, 13, Chris, 11, and Stephanie, 9 – had attempted to enlist the aid of President Obama and former presidents to free help him. They also apologized to the North Korean government, as did Fowle.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, called on former Congressman Tony Hall, who has been to North Korea several times, to assist in diplomatic efforts.
“I’m excited about that,” Hall said after hearing of Fowle’s release. “I’m really excited for the family. This is great news.”
Return to work?
In recent months, Fowle’s family, Tepe said, had become worried by his prolonged captivity and expressed concern about their financial future as Fowle’s accumulated leave with the city of Moraine dwindled. Fowle’s 26-year tenure with the city, where he was an equipment operator with the street department, was terminated last month.
The city agreed to pay him more than $70,000 based on leave he had remaining and gave him the ability to be reinstated, calling him an employee in “good standing,” according to documents obtained by this newspaper in September.
Union officials and Tepe said then that they understood Moraine’s decision.
“We wish Jeff well. We’re excited to have him return,” Moraine City Manager Dave Hicks said Tuesday.
Fowle’s union welcomed his return, said Scott Thomasson, staff representative with Council 8 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees.
“We’re hopeful that on his return, we’ll be reaching out to the city of Moraine about his reinstatement,” Thomasson said.
Asked whether he’s confident Fowle will regain his job, Thomasson said: “I don’t know what the chances are, but we’re going to ask the question.”
ABC News quoted Hicks as saying, “Although he was terminated, he has the ability to apply at any point in the next year and he would be immediately reinstated into his position.”
Moraine Mayor Elaine Allison was to have a news conference at Moraine city hall this afternoon.
Fight for freedom
Turner said he contacted Hall this spring “for his expertise in dealing with North Korea, and he agreed to offer any possible assistance to bring about Fowle’s release.” Turner praised Hall’s “tireless efforts to free” Fowle.
“Further, I would like to thank the U.S. State Department for their diligent work in bringing Jeffrey home to his family,” Turner said.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said Fowle’s release closes “the chapter on a horrific ordeal in North Korea.” He assailed North Korea as a “country with egregious human rights violations and it’s important that the U.S. continue to stand for the rights of all people, including religious freedoms, at home and abroad.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, thanked “both American and Swedish officials who worked to secure his freedom. However, while we celebrate Mr. Fowle’s release, we must remember that two American citizens remain detained in North Korea. I urge continued diplomatic efforts to ensure all Americans are brought home safely and without further delay.”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said as “a condition of” Fowle’s release, the North Korean authorities “asked the United States government to transport Mr. Fowle out of the country upon his release.”
“The Department of Defense was able to provide transportation for Mr. Fowle in the timeframe that was specified by the DPRK,” Earnest said. “And if we’re in a position to release additional details about his return, we’ll do that.”
While the State Department said, “We welcome the DPRK’s decision to release (Fowle),” it expressed concern for the remaining U.S. detainees.
“While this is a positive decision by the DPRK, we remain focused on the continued detention of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller and again call on the DPRK to immediately release them. The U.S. government will continue to work actively on their cases.”
At the State Department, a spokeswoman thanked Sweden for its “tireless efforts” by its embassy in Pyongyang. She provided no other details about the Swedish government’s involvement.
Washington has repeatedly tried to send a high-level representative to North Korea to seek release of the three detainees. Pyongyang had refused as recently as last month, according to Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues.
The three Americans entered North Korea separately. In interviews last month with the AP, all three men said they believe the only solution to their situation is for a U.S. representative to come to North Korea to make a direct appeal.
Surprised by release
Glen Duerr, assistant professor of international studies at Cedarville University, said he was surprised that North Korea released Fowle because Matthew Miller, another detained American, was sentenced to six years of hard labor last month.
But Duerr said Fowle’s release is likely part of North Korea’s wider strategy to bargain with the United States about its nuclear weapons program. North Korea seems interested in starting a dialogue with the United States, and it may try to use the other two detained Americans as bargaining chips, Duerr said.
“North Korea is surprisingly transparent when it comes to nuclear tests and missile tests,” he said. “I think this is part of a wider strategy as they gear up for a potential future nuclear test.”
Duerr said Fowle is fortunate he was freed and avoided a punishment of hard labor, because reports indicate Bae is “suffering immensely” in the nation’s prison camps.
Americans should think twice about visiting North Korea, but those who are determined to make the trip would be wise to use extreme caution because U.S. citizens are being detained and used as bargaining chips, Duerr said.
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