Reemerging from his six-week absence, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the release of American Jeffrey Fowle on Wednesday.
Fowle, 56, was arrested in May for leaving a Bible at a club for foreign sailors in the northern city of Chongjin. He was awaiting trial for anti-state crimes when he was released.
University of Oklahoma College of International Studies assistant dean and World Views panelist Rebecca Cruise says that Kim Jong-un’s action is significant, but it’s hard to tell what it may mean for U.S.-North Korean relations.
“This probably is not coincidental that he comes back, that he's making the declaration, and showing that he has the power to, as he essentially said, give a favor to President Obama,” Cruise says.
The U.S. response to Fowle’s release has been positive, but guarded. Secretary of State John Kerry said that there was no quid pro quo and that negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea remain contingent upon denuclearization and the release of two more Americans.
Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller are still being held in North Korea. Bae has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for plotting to overthrow the government and Miller has been sentenced to six years of hard labor for spying.
Despite this, Cruise sees Fowle’s release as an encouraging step.
“The United States did not bargain this, did not give anything up for this, so perhaps this is a thawing of relations,” Cruise says. “We've seen some other steps in that direction as well. While Kim Jong-Un was away, some officials went to South Korea and talked about opening up negotiations or extending negotiations, and interestingly enough, North Korea has also agreed to look into some suspicious kidnappings or deaths of Japanese citizens a couple of decades ago. So perhaps they’re signaling that they're willing to be a partner, or at least a member of the table, to discuss moving forward.”
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