Otto Warmbier has been detained in North Korea since January for a "hostile act." He admitted to stealing a political banner from a hotel.
Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student detained in North Korea since January, broke down and begged for forgiveness for committing a "severe crime" at a government-arranged news conference Monday.
Warmbier, who was detained on Jan. 2 for what North Korea called a "hostile act against the state," said he had "made the worst mistake" of his life by stealing a political banner from the hotel he was staying at.
Warmbier was touring North Korea with a China-based tour company when he was detained at the Pyongyang International Airport on Jan. 2 before he was to board a flight to Beijing.
According to the state news media, Warmbier was in North Korea with the intent of "bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity," The New York Times reported.
"I committed my crime of taking out the important political slogan from the staff-only area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel, aimed at harming the work ethic and the motivation of the Korean people," Warmbier read out from a prepared statement.
Kim Kwang Hyon / AP
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