An American student from Utah who first traveled to China for studies more than 10 years ago, has been missing since 2004, and his family believes he’s somewhere abducted in North Korea.
There are wide speculations that the Utah ex-college student was kidnapped and enrolled for expat services to the “world’s most hated president” Kim Jong Un.
Image shows David Sneddon, his last picture before he went missing.
David Sneddon, who was 24 at the time of his disappearance in August 2004, was a Brigham Young University student. He arrived China and vanished into thin air shortly afterwards, without any clue to where he has been until now.
Although reports quote Chinese authorities as telling David’s parents–Kathleen and Roy Sneddon–that their son drowned while hiking, his body hasn’t been seen. So even with 12 years gone, the family has never given up hope.
While the search continues, David’s parents believe he can’t be anywhere other than North Korea considering the fact that he studied Chinese language, Mandarin and is very fluent in Korean. They believe he’s serving the North Korean dictator as an English tutor.
In the same line, David’s disappearance is said to resemble a pattern of abductions where North Korean leaders are known to kidnap foreigners and force them to train their spies.
A report from the Korean War Abductees’ Family Union believes David is alive in North Korea, where he’s reportedly been forced to teach English to the country’s closed-off agents — including dictator Kim Jong Un, according to Yahoo Japan.
Other reports say the abducted student has wedded a North Korean woman and currently has 2 kids.
Though having a family over there in DPRK means he’s living a good life far away from home, there’s fear that the unpredictable North Korean dictator’s could execute David at the slightest provocation.
In June, Kim Jong Un ordered his vice premier of education to be killed by a firing squad for having a “bad attitude.”
He’s also ordered his aunt’s death, and was rumored to have executed his uncle by feeding him to a pack of starving dogs, and then killed the rest of the uncle’s relatives.
“David had served as a missionary in South Korea in the past,” his parents said.
“We just knew in our heart that he was alive, so we had to keep fighting,” Kathleen told the Deseret News.
The American government has taken this upon itself to find and rescue David, but what chances are available?
Image: David Sneddon
Members of Congress, including Florida senator Marco Rubio, have supported a new measure to help finding the missing Utah native.
The U.S. Department of State formally launched an active search for David in North Korea, according to reports.
His family hopes the department can find justice for David, as well as others who may have fallen victim of North Korea’s ruthless actions against foreigners.
“One young man from Utah is a sad and woeful story. But when you look at the total number,” Roy told the newspaper. “Pray for the people of North Korea that their lives will change.”
You must log in to post a comment.