[Holiday in North Korea] Michael Spavor finally freed from China

Michael Spavor has lunch in Pyongyang in August 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

I started this column in early 2019 in response to Michael Spavor being taken hostage by China in retaliation to Canada's house arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. One of the "two Michaels" held prisoner, "our Michael," as we sometimes called him, is a former resident of South Korea who moved to China where he could operate various cultural exchanges with North Korea. China is, at least for almost all travelers, the halfway point between South and North Korea ― not geographically but certainly travel-wise, a cruel geopolitical reality ― so by moving there he was positioning himself between the two Koreas, from where he could catch flights to both easily.

Now it's clear China's espionage accusation against him had nothing to do with his activities with North Korea or his time meeting the isolated country's leader Kim Jong-un. It seems more likely China just wanted to attack a Canadian with a high enough profile. And by doing so, they eliminated one very useful and unique channel with North Korea. Maybe that was intentional, a message to North Korea that its engagements with the outside world must all go through China.

Michael Spavor, right, visits North Korea in August 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

Michael organized my two visits to the North, in August 2010 and September 2018. But with him out of the picture, it looked like I wouldn't be going back any time soon. Not that I couldn't have just gone with a different company, but I was also terrified to set foot in China again, the country where the bulk of travel to North Korea passes through. I did not want to give China an opportunity to grab another Canadian associate of Michael.

When he was abducted, he was on his way to South Korea. He had promised to come to a lecture on Dec. 11, 2018, by Michael Hay (RIP), hosted by Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, for which he had served as a council member before moving away. Prior to leaving home, he had made a big post on Facebook announcing his visit, tagging over 50 of his friends in the South, including me. So maybe China knew my name, and maybe even that I'd visited the North with him less than three months earlier. For that reason, I wouldn't set foot in China again, and I also couldn't help but wonder why any Canadians at all would continue to visit or reside in China. It seems like a very bad idea, in light of the sudden abduction and release of both Michaels. Don't be in China the next time its government needs to make an example of someone from your country.

With China cutting off my hopes of returning to the North for the foreseeable future, and no longer needing to worry about any possible reactions from the North, I decided to start this column sharing my own experiences up there with Michael. I have made sure not to share his own stories told to me, which are his to tell when he eventually publishes his inevitable memoir. I had already written a few articles about North Korea and Michael's activities there, always under Michael's close guidance ― anyone engaging with North Korea needs to watch their words if they want to maintain productive relationships. I have tried to maintain a pro-engagement attitude in these articles based on my understanding of his world views. I wanted this column to subvert readers' expectations and make them think deeper about the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

I also wanted there to be more articles reporting not on Michael's captivity, but his North Korea activities, to help people remember that this man was a cultural engager, not some kind of spy, when seeing news about his 1,000-plus-day captivity in China. This story was framed as a conflict between China and Canada, with the U.S. holding much of the blame, but how it affected Korea ― both Koreas ― was not being discussed.

According to Chinese friends involved in the Hong Kong independence movement that was ongoing in 2019 and 2020, the activists knew the names of the two Michaels well. But South Korea has remained disappointingly silent on China's hostage diplomacy, maybe fearing more economic or political retaliation from China.

And we don't know what North Korea thinks of the whole issue. I recall discussing this with Peter Bartholomew (RIP, another of Michael's friends who passed away during his long captivity), who believed Michael's North Korean friends would see through China's blatant lies and keep their faith in Michael. But I'm less convinced, knowing all that the North Koreans will be told about this case is what China says, and that the country likely has a pretty big cultural stigma against anyone accused of espionage.

Throughout this ordeal, I have been referring to Michael often in past tense, mainly in reference to his engagement activities and his opinions, which led one person to point out he wasn't dead. I explained that his time in China is certainly at an end, and his ties with North Korea may be severed permanently. As well, we can't know if his unfair captivity has disillusioned him against his open attitudes toward engagement and coexisting with authoritarian countries like North Korea and China.

During his captivity, we didn't hear much about the exact conditions he faced. What were they telling him? Did he know about the captivity of the other Michael, or even about Meng and that he was essentially a political hostage? Did he hear a mildly similar fate had befallen fellow North Korea engager Alek Sigley, who was held in Pyongyang for about a week before being released? Was he getting the books we were sending him, and did he notice a picture of him published in volume 93 of the RAS Korea journal Transactions, just to let him know we were thinking about him? Some comments in the media suggested he was in good spirits, which sounds exactly like the Michael I know. Rather than speculate on the conditions of his captivity, I've instead focused on his undefeatable spirit. Knowing him, he probably spent all his time honing his Korean and Chinese language skills, and his interrogators probably thought he was a great guy. Now that he's out, I will be waiting anxiously to hear from him, to see how my friend has made it out of this situation with his good nature intact.

When he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, it didn't change my thoughts. I still believed China would release him after they no longer needed him, and it looks like I was right. If anything, I underestimated how quickly they would release him.

Now that he's free, will this column continue? Not knowing Michael's current wishes, I don't want to risk adding to his emotional burden. Maybe he will want to lay low in Canada for the time being. On the other hand, he could eventually move back to South Korea, where he'll be welcomed and surrounded by friends who never gave up on him. Or maybe it's already time to start thinking about my next visit to North Korea with Michael. Preferably not through China.

Michael Spavor, second from right, attends the Arirang Festival mass games in August 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

It's been hard anticipating a reunion with Michael. Whatever the case, as soon as I know his wishes, I hope to support my friend. Friends have been passing around a gofundme campaign for Michael to raise funds to help him recover after losing almost everything in China.