[Holiday in North Korea] Canadian detained for 2 years in China

Michael Spavor, left, and now-Korea Times copy editor Jon Dunbar pose with an image of Kim Jong-il, father of North Korea's current leader, at Nampo Barrage on the west coast, in August 2010. / Courtesy of Michael's friend

By Jon Dunbar

Almost two years ago, my friend Michael Spavor sent me an email saying he was coming to visit South Korea from Dec. 10 to 15 or so, promising to show up for a lecture by the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea. He set out from his home in Dandong, China, just across the river from North Korea, but he never made it to Seoul. He was accosted on his way to catch his plane, accused of espionage.

For two years now, the fate of my friend, and that of fellow Canadian detainee Michael Kovrig, has been a crisis for Canada. It is a problem caused by the trade war between China and the U.S. It also should concern Korea ― both Koreas, which China also pushes around to get its way.

Michael has a lot of friends in the South. As well as being socially active, he studied at Kangwon University in Chuncheon and worked for a few employers here, including Seoul Tourism Organization, and he even gained attention for living in an old hanok he fixed up in Bugahyeon-dong (since demolished to make way for high-rises). In his final Facebook post before his departure he tagged 51 people living here he'd hoped to see. He'd lived here from the 1990s to the early 2010s, developing a love for Korea that transcended politics and borders.

Michael Spavor visits the Kaeson Night Fun Fair in 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

I first met Michael at a house party on Aug. 27, 2006, a date I discovered recently when organizing old photo archives. When I heard he'd lived in Pyongyang for six months, I remarked that it must have been boring up there, only for him to tell me it was the best time of his life. Soon everyone at the party was crowded around listening to stories of his adventures, which were unlike anything I'd ever heard about the isolated country. His stories were humorous and joyful, and I've decided they're his to share, not mine, after his release if he chooses to do so.

Michael Spavor visits the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

In August 2010, I joined him on an eight-day visit to North Korea. There were four of us coming from the South, joining with a larger tour group organized by Koryo Tours.

On our way in, we spent a night in China, a very stressful start to our voyage. The hotel Michael had booked was suddenly turning us away, saying foreigners weren't allowed to stay there, so we rode around Shenyang in a taxi late at night looking for another hotel. Finally we checked in, another frustrating process as they kept changing the price.

After, we went out to a nightclub so Michael could give us one final briefing before we set out for Pyongyang the next morning. He told us that we might feel paranoid up there, but we really shouldn't be concerned because we weren't that special or important.

"I just want to be back in Korea," I told him, "any Korea!"

Fortunately, the trip went smoothly once we returned to Korean soil, albeit in the North. I have said it felt like going back in time to the 1960s, or traveling to an alternate dimension where it's the same country but different political system. Due to its comparatively slow development, many things had out of necessity stayed closer to traditional Korea than can be found in the South.

Michael Spavor poses with metro workers in Pyongyang, during a visit to North Korea in August 2010. / Courtesy of Michael's friend

Michael was in his element up there, just happy to be back after a few years of absence. He had a deep affection for the country, even if he at times showed impatience with the bureaucratic ways things are done up there, and he was under no delusions. But he was not daunted by North Korea's totalitarian reputation, maybe for the sake of smooth relations with the North. Instead, he looked for the positives in the people, the food and the culture.

He looked after us during the whole visit, making sure we didn't do anything too stupid and monitoring our emotional wellbeing. He got us out by train back to China, where we spent an extra couple of stressful days, and soon we were all back home in South Korea safely.

Michael Spavor rides a train in China from Dandong to Shenyang in 2010. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar

Michael relocated to China sometime after that trip to be closer to North Korea. And then in 2013, he made history by joining Dennis Rodman's second visit to North Korea, during which they spent a lot of time with Kim Jong-un and his family. So I like to say we were practice for him bringing Rodman up there.

After that, his work with North Korea gained momentum. He visited South Korea a few times a year, giving a couple of RAS Korea lectures on his engagement with the North. I wrote a few articles about his organization Paektu Cultural Exchange, always in close consultation with him.

And then in September 2018, I finally returned for a short four-day trip to the North with him, mainly to revisit familiar sites and see how they'd changed in Kim Jong-un's era. The visit was strictly for pleasure, but after returning I wrote three articles for this newspaper about my experiences, also with his guidance. He mentioned to me that some of his North Korean contacts were aware of my articles, and also that they didn't object to the content.

After Michael went missing, effectively held hostage by China in retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, it became clear I would not be returning to the North any time soon. I'm not comfortable visiting without Michael, but I'm also entirely justifiably terrified to set foot in China ― the main route into North Korea.

Since I don't see any hope of returning, I've been writing this "Holiday in North Korea" article series since last year, sharing some of my own memories of visits up there with Michael, while also reminding everyone that he was just a cultural exchange facilitator, not any kind of spy. And I hope the memories I share live up to his goal of spreading a more nuanced understanding of the people and culture of North Korea.

Sometimes I wonder what Michael's North Korean business partners think of the situation, if they even know the guy they nicknamed "Man-bok" is imprisoned in China. I hope they aren't under the mistaken impression he did anything wrong. Unfortunately, due to China's actions, I have no way of finding out.