PYONGYANG, North Korea, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- American Arturo Pierre Martinez took to the airwaves in Pyongyang on Sunday to denounce his home country, calling it a "Mafia enterprise" and claiming democracy in the United States to be "an illusion."
The 29-year-old Martinez, who was raised in El Paso, Texas, admitted to crossing into North Korea illegally from China, but claimed he had not been detained. It's not clear, however, whether Martinez is free to leave the country.
In a video released by state-run Korean Central News Agency, Martinez said the United States "is unfairly built for the benefit of the wealthy through the necessity of costly fundraising for political candidates seeking office."
"These billionaires in power are nothing short of sociopathic megalomaniacs on the path to absolute world domination," he said of America's political elite.
Martinez also denounced the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and criticized CIA involvement in the drug trade, the U.S. prison system, and the conduct of American police. He thanked North Korea'a government for his warm welcome, and for their apparent pardoning of his illegal border crossing.
Martinez's mother, Patricia Eugenia Martinez, told CNN that her son is bipolar and previously attempted to enter the totalitarian country by swimming across South Korea's Han River. He was stopped and returned to the United States. Once home, he was put in a California psychiatric hospital, but he eventually negotiated his release.
"He is very smart and he got the court to let him out and instead of coming home to us he bought a ticket and left for China," his mother said. "He took out a payday loan online and left for China."
Martinez's mother said in a statement released Sunday morning: "I'm glad and relieved that my son is safe. 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."
