A 21 year old University of Virginia Student, Otto Warmbier, was convicted of "subversion" in North Korea and sentenced to a term of 15 years in a hard labor camp after attempting to steal a propaganda banner from his hotel.
Prior to his sentencing, he gave a lengthy statement to the press, which bashed the U.S., as is typical when Americans are charged with crimes in North Korea. Some excerpts from his statement, per the Daily Mail:
"I made the worst mistake of my life. I committed the crime of taking down a political slogan from the staff holding area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel. I apologize to each and every one of the millions of the Korean people and I beg that you see how I was used and manipulated. I plead for you to forgive me, not for me, but for my family."
During the press (propaganda) conference, Warmbier had his head down and continued with his statement:
"I never, never should have allowed myself to be lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country. I wish that the United States administration never manipulate people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. I entirely beg you, the people and government of [North Korea], for your forgiveness. Please!"
Apparently, his plea for mercy went unheard.
