Back when we first covered the release of the last American prisoners held by North Korea, questions were already making the rounds about Matthew Miller. He had allegedly gone to North Korea with the intention of defecting, had reportedly destroyed his passport and was ready to abandon the nation of his birth. Going by an interview in the Guardian this week, it looks like those reports were not exaggerated.

For most people visiting North Korea, the prospect of being arrested during their trip is a source of some concern. But for 25-year old Californian Matthew Miller, it’s exactly what he hoped for.

“My main fear was that they would not arrest me when I arrived,” Miller told NK News in a series of interviews after he and fellow American Kenneth Bae were released during a high-profile visit to the North Korean capital by James Clapper, US Director of National Intelligence, earlier this month.

Apparently the earlier reports had come only from North Korean sources, so they might have just been propaganda, but this is about all the confirmation you could ask for. The details are fairly remarkable. Apparently Mr. Miller had taken great pains to disguise his background and make it difficult to either identify him or track down where he had come from. He not only damaged his documents, but after being “apprehended” by the North Koreans (in what was apparently a rare exhibition of good sense) they tried to send him back. He fought against the idea and was finally given a show trial and sentenced to hard labor.

I somehow doubt that breaking big rocks into little ones was what Miller had in mind. But it’s equally unclear what he may have thought the North Koreans would want with him. It’s not as if he held the nation’s nuclear secrets or had something meaningful to contribute. (Well, aside from a continued supply of smaller rocks.) When even the North Koreans don’t want you, it’s just possible that you may want to reevaluate some of your life choices.

Exit question: I suppose it’s too late to have Clapper cancel the deal and send him back?