--- description: An American citizen residing in North Korea denounced the U.S. and said at a news conference that he would seek asylum in Venezuela title: American in North Korea Said to Denounce U.S. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a3ebd366318f27b/69876e962dce0108bd9dc6b9/arturo-martinez-north-korea.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # American in North Korea Said to Denounce U.S. by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2014 5:38 PM CUT  A man who identifies himself as Arturo Pierre Martine, a 29-year-old American raised in El Paso, Texas speaks at a press conference in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Dec. 14, 2014. A man who identifies himself as Arturo Pierre Martine, a 29-year-old American raised in El Paso, Texas speaks at a press conference in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Dec. 14, 2014.AP/Kyodo by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2014 5:38 PM CUT A Texas man who apparently entered North Korea illegally earlier this year has denounced American foreign policy in a lengthy news conference, according to a [report](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/14/us-northkorea-usa-idUSKBN0JS03C20141214 "undefined") Sunday, and plans to seek asylum in Venezuela. The man, who identified himself as Arturo Pierre Martinez, 29, claimed he ventured into the reclusive country to provide what he described as “very valuable and disturbing information” regarding the U.S. to authorities in the isolated country, according to Reuters, citing footage of the statement released by North Korea’s state-run news agency. Martinez, who said he has been living in a hotel, thanked authorities for treating him well. Martinez’s mother, Patricia Eugenia Martinez, [told CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/13/world/asia/amercan-north-korea/ "undefined") that her son is mentally unstable and had attempted to enter North Korea before. The State Department acknowledged Sunday that it was aware of the situation and was ready “to provide all possible consular assistance.” A statement from Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf neither confirmed Martinez’s identity, nor noted his comments. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/14/us-northkorea-usa-idUSKBN0JS03C20141214 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3632900/american-north-korea-usa/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3632900/american-north-korea-usa/"},"headline":"American in North Korea Said to Denounce U.S.","datePublished":"2014-12-14T17:38:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:50:33.690Z","description":"His mother said he's mentally unstable","url":"https://time.com/3632900/american-north-korea-usa/","keywords":["Venezuela","North Korea","World","diplomacy","United States"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a3ebd366318f27b/69876e962dce0108bd9dc6b9/arturo-martinez-north-korea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a3ebd366318f27b/69876e962dce0108bd9dc6b9/arturo-martinez-north-korea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A man who identifies himself as Arturo Pierre Martine, a 29-year-old American raised in El Paso, Texas speaks at a press conference in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Dec. 14, 2014.","caption":"A man who identifies himself as Arturo Pierre Martine, a 29-year-old American raised in El Paso, Texas speaks at a press conference in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Dec. 14, 2014.","creditText":"AP/Kyodo","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3632900/american-north-korea-usa/","name":"American in North Korea Said to Denounce U.S."}}]}] ```