On a 2004 hiking trip in China, Brigham Young student, David Sneddon, was kidnapped and forced to teach English to the future North Korea leader, Kim Jong Un.
After disappearing at the age of 24 in what the Chinese government called it a hiking accident in the Yunnan Province, Sneddon’s parents began to get suspicious when no body was ever found. Sneddon spoke fluent Korean, and the circumstances and explanations were just not adding up. Kathleen Sneddon, David’s mother, commented that:
“We knew in our heart that he was alive, so we had to keep fighting.”
David Sneddon was serving on a Mormon mission at the time, and his language skills were very well known by locals in that area. Abductions of nationals are pretty common in that area of China, especially for tourists who have acquired a needed skill.
The head of South Korea’s Abductees’ Family Union, Choi Sung-yong, reported that Sneddon had been found living in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where he lives with his wife and two children. No word as to why he never reached out to his family after being released has surfaced, but his family is still very relieved.
Kim Jong Un, the youngest child of Kim Jong II, was twenty years old when Sneddon became his tutor and has been praised for his understanding of the English language and his knowledge of American culture. Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea after his father’s death in 2011.
Take a look at the most recent report on Sneddon from CNN.
Featured Image Via Moganews
