Photo via YouTube/KCNAWatch
It seems North Korea has found an American ally. A US citizen publicly blasted his home country during a Sunday press conference in Pyongyang, decrying the American "illusion" of democracy, and calling US leaders "billionaires who are nothing short of sociopathic megalomaniacs."The man, 29-year-old Arturo Pierre Martinez of El Paso, Texas, appeared in a video released by the state-run Korean News Agency. He also slammed the US for alleged human rights violations, echoing statements made repeatedly by North Korean officials in the months since the UN condemned the isolated nation for holding tens of thousands of political prisoners in concentration camps."The illegal war carried out against the nation of Iraq serves as a perfect example of how this country serves like a Mafia enterprise," Martinez said. "The whole system of America is unfairly built for the benefit of the wealthy, through the necessity of costly fundraisers for political candidates seeking office…The democracy of this nation is nothing more than an illusion and its representatives act as power brokers for those who can afford them."North Korean meth, motorcycle gangs, Army snipers, and a guy named Rambo. Read more here.It's unclear when or how exactly Martinez ended up in North Korea, but he claims he is not being detained, and is there of his own volition. Martinez's mother told CNN that her son is bipolar and was intercepted earlier this year when he tried unsuccessfully to enter North Korea by swimming across a river. As the Washington Post noted, that account seems to match an incident in September when South Korean marines caught a man trying to swim across the Han River into North Korea.Martinez's mother reportedly said that her son received treatment at a California psychiatric hospital after his failed North Korea crossing, but, after his release, he promptly took out a payday loan, bought a ticket to China, then snuck across the border by crossing the Yalu River.North Korea leads the world in human rights, says report by North Korea. Read more here.North Korea reportedly said Martinez entered the country illegally last month, just two days after Kim Jong-un's regime released three other Americans detainees. In his speech, Martinez said he was "extremely grateful" to the North Korean government for granting him a pardon, and that he had received a "most generous reception.""There is no other country on Earth that has dedicated itself to the socialist ideal as much as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has, and for that I must congratulate them for all they have accomplished and made possible," he said, taking a bow after the speech concluded.Martinez's mother told CNN that the US embassy in Beijing has been searching for her son."I'm glad and relieved that my son is safe," his mother reportedly said. "I am appreciative to the North Korean authorities for pardoning my son and releasing him. I look forward to spending Christmas with him after they release him."Follow Meredith Hoffman on Twitter: @merhoffman
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