'Dead' BYU Student Possibly Abducted by N. Korea 12 Years Ago

And may actually be alive and teaching English in Pyongyang, per report
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2016 2:43 PM CDT

How did a Brigham Young student who vanished more than a decade ago suddenly (and allegedly) pop up as a teacher in North Korea? The family of David Sneddon—who was 24 when he disappeared in China in 2004—tells KSL that a Yahoo Japan report reveals Sneddon has emerged alive and hopefully well as an English teacher in Pyongyang, married and with two kids. His family had long thought that he may have been abducted because he was fluent in Korean; the Yahoo Japan report claims he may have even taught Kim Jong Un himself. This development "doesn't surprise me at all," his mom, Kathleen Sneddon, says, though she concedes "part of the article may be correct and part of it may be conjecture."

When Sneddon, originally from Nebraska, went missing while hiking in China's Yunnan province, local officials shrugged and said he probably drowned. But his body was never found, and his parents kept the faith that their son was still alive. Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah is leading the push for US government intervention, sponsoring a House measure to look into Sneddon's whereabouts (there's a similar measure being bandied about in the US Senate). "This may put some fire in Congress," Kathleen Sneddon tells KUTV, while both his parents say they believe there are many others like their son who've met the same fate. "One young man from Utah is a sad and woeful story, but when you look at the total number… ," dad Roy Sneddon says. (Kim Jong Un reportedly had a man executed for nodding off.)

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