David Sneddon of Brigham Young University disappeared in Yunnan Province aged 24, in what Chinese police said was probably a hiking accident.
But the reality, according to Choi Sung-yong, head of South Korea's Abductees' Family Union, is that he was kidnapped to be an English tutor to the then-heir to North Korea Yahoo News Japan reported Wednesday.
Vanished: David Sneddon (pictured) disappeared in 2004 while in Yunnan Province, China. Chinese police said he likely died by accident while hiking, but his body was never found
Kidnapper: A report published Wednesday said Sneddon was in fact kidnapped to teach Kim Jong Un (pictured) English, and that he is still alive and living in the North Korean capital
Sneddon is now living in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where he teaches English to children and has a wife and two children, Choi said.
The news comes as relief - but little surprise - to Sneddon's parents, Roy and Kathleen, who have long doubted the official story of their son's disappearance.
'We just knew in our heart that he was alive, so we had to keep fighting,' said Kathleen Sneddon.
Their suspicion was based in part on the fact that Sneddon's body was never found after he was believed to have died in Tiger Leaping Gorge, a canyon on Yunnan's Jinsha River that is highly popular with tourists.
Hopeful: Sneddon's parents Roy and Kathleen never gave up hope that their son was alive, and continue to campaign for his release
He had last been seen on August 14 leaving a Korean restaurant in Shangri-La, a town not far from the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail.
He was reported missing on August 26, when he failed to turn up at the airport in Seoul, South Korea, where he was to meet his brother.
It's also notable, it has been argued by those supporting the search for Sneddon, that Yunnan Province is used by those fleeing North Korea as a route to South-East Asia.
Sneddon's parents are also aware that North Korea has a long history of kidnapping foreign nationals - albeit usually those from South Korea and Japan.
They believe their son was targeted because of his fluency in Korean, which he used while serving on a Mormon mission in South Korea.
Searching: Roy (right) and son James Sneddon walk through Shangri-La in Yunnan Province with placards, seeking their lost relative
Prayers: On the Facebook page dedicated to their son, Sneddon's parents celebrated discovering their son might still be alive - but asked for prayers for the people of North Korea
For the past 12 years the couple have worked to raise awareness of their son's disappearance, visiting kidnapping organizations in Japan, and trekking around China with placards explaining their son's story.
They have also been operating a website and Facebook page dedicated to sharing stories and information about his disappearance, and encouraging people to contact members of congress about the case.
It's not just the report from Japan that has excited the family, however.
The claims have spurred action on the part of the US Department of State, which Wednesday announced that it would conduct an active search for him in North Korea, Desert News Utah reported.
That decision comes after years of campaigning by the Sneddons, and a push this year from lawmakers.
Search: The search for Sneddon (pictured in front of karst formations in China) has been ongoing for his parents for the past 12 years - but now it seems it may be approaching an end
Alive: Sneddon (pictured in China), is now living in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where he teaches English to children and has a wife and two children, it has been alleged
Resolution: The Sneddons are also encouraging people from outside Nebraska to ask their representatives and senators to sponsor resolutions to investigate their son's vanishing
A missing poster produced to help find David. His parents have worked to raise awareness of their son's disappearance over the past 12 years
The poster can be seen displayed above. David's parents believe their son was targeted because of his fluency in Korean, which he used while serving on a Mormon mission in South Korea
In February Utah Representative Chris Stewart (R) and Senator Mike Lee (R) presented joint Resolution to the House of Representatives and the Senate urging action to find out what happened to Sneddon.
'Even though it may be difficult, it's the duty of the United States government to follow all leads to locate a missing citizen,' Stewart said in a statement.
'The evidence indicates that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about David's disappearance.
'David's family deserves answers to those questions, and until we find those answers I will continue urging the state department to pursue all possible explanations for David's disappearance.'
Searching: David's brothers, Michael (left) and James (right) are seen at Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, where Sneddon was believed to have vanished
David's parents have been encouraging anyone from outside Utah to write their senators and representatives and demand action. David is pictured above
Sneddon, pictured, was last seen on August 14 leaving a Korean restaurant in Shangri-La, a town not far from the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail
A spokesman for Stewart said that he continues to push the resolution, and is hopeful that it will be voted on by the House before the end of the year, KUTV reported.
And the Sneddons are encouraging anyone from outside Utah to write their senators and representatives and demand action.
For the Sneddons, who have worked so long to find out what happened to their son, the promise of the resolution is uplifting news.
'This may put some fire in Congress,' Kathleen Sneddon, said.
And she added that both she and her husband had already been contacted by a US senator from outside Utah who was eager to make progress.
In the meantime, for the Sneddons, this is just another step in a road they hope will lead to their son coming home.
And Roy Sneddon is hopeful about the future - although he's well aware of the hard work needed to get there.
'I expect that, when all is said and done, we'll have done as much as we can,' he said. 'But standing back we'll say: "It was a miracle. We're glad that we saw it."'
Celebration: Sneddon's family have always believed he would be found alive. In May they shared this Facebook post on what would have been his 36th birthday
'Kidnapped': The state department will conduct an 'active search' for Sneddon. It's believed he has a wife and kids. Pictured: A view of North Korea across the South Korean border
THE KIM KIDNAPPINGS
Kidnapper: Japan says that during the reign of Kim Il Sung (pictured), at least 17 Japanese citizens were kidnapped from their country and taken to North Korea to teach Japanese
Sneddon is not the first suspected North Korean kidnapping victim.
According to the Japanese government, at least 17 Japanese citizens were abducted from Japan itself from 1977-1983, during the reign of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-Sung.
Most were around 20, but the youngest was 13; they were believed to have been taken to teach Japanese, or to be wives for other victims.
While Japan officially recognizes 17 kidnappings, some believe hundreds were taken from small villages and towns in the period. North Korea only admits to 13 abductions.
South Korea, meanwhile, maintains that around 3,800 people have been taken since the Korean Armistice ended active war between the countries in 1953.
They include five high-school students who were taken in 1977 and 1978 to teach the South Korean lifestyle to North Korean spies.
South Koreans have also been kidnapped as far abroad as West Germany, Austria and Norway.
But perhaps the most infamous case is that of prolific South Korean director Shin Sang-ok, who was known as the 'Crown Prince of Korea' in the 1950s and '60s.
In 1978, Shin's ex-wife, actress Choi Eun-hee, disappeared while visiting Hong Kong. Suspected of her death, he went to Hong Kong himself to track her down.
That's where he discovered that not only had she been kidnapped on the orders of film-crazy future leader Kim Jong-Il, but he was a target too.
The pair were smuggled to North Korea, where they were told they must make movies to improve the foreign image of Kim's Worker's Party of Korea.
After a few escape attempts - and a stint in prison - Shin pretended to be brainwashed, and made seven films including Godzilla rip-off Pulgasari, about a giant monster created by a blacksmith to kill an evil king.
He and Choi pretended to be Kim's friends and confidantes, eventually earning the privilege of attending a film festival in Vienna in 1986 - at which point they evaded their captors and made a successful bid for freedom.
Victims: South Korean director Shin Sang-ok (left) and his ex-wife, actress Choi Eun-hee (right) were abducted in Hong Kong in 1978. They escaped North Korea eight years later
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