- State media: Matthew Todd Miller wanted to become "a world famous guy"
- After his arrival, he tore his visa, it says
- He also shouted his desire to seek asylum, according to state-run KCNA
(CNN) -- An American sentenced in North Korea ripped up his visa so he could go to prison and expose human rights violations there, state media said Saturday.
Matthew Todd Miller was convicted of committing "acts hostile" to North Korea and sentenced to six years of hard labor last week.
Saturday's report in the state-run Korean Central News Agency boldly heaped blame on Miller, claiming his acts were a preconceived plan to gain notoriety.
The 24-year-old from Bakersfield, California, arrived in North Korea as a tourist in April.
After his arrival, he tore his visa at Pyongyang's airport and shouted his desire to seek asylum, according to KCNA.
'Rudely behaved'
State media described him as "rudely behaved," saying he was sent to infiltrate prison as part of a United States campaign against North Korea.
"He perpetrated the above-said acts in the hope of becoming a world famous guy and the second Snowden through intentional hooliganism," state media said.
Edward Snowden got asylum from Russia, where he fled last year after leaking classified U.S. government documents.
Matthew Todd Miller, one of three Americans detained in North Korea, spoke to CNN's Will Ripley on Monday, September 1, and implored the U.S. government for help. The 24-year-old is accused of tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum upon entry. Dressed in a black turtleneck and often avoiding eye contact, Miller told CNN he has admitted his guilt -- even though he won't learn of his charges until he goes to trial. 
Jeffrey Edward Fowle, another one of the Americans detained in North Korea, is accused of leaving a Bible in a hotel where he was staying. North Korea announced Fowle's detention in June, saying he had violated the law by acting "contrary to the purpose of tourism." Fowle told CNN: "I've admitted my guilt to the government and signed a statement to that effect and requested forgiveness from the people and the government of the DPRK." 
In May 2013, a North Korean court sentenced Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the state. North Korea claimed Bae was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. In a short interview with CNN on Monday, September 1, Bae said he is working eight hours a day, six days a week at a labor camp. "Right now what I can say to my friends and family is, continue to pray for me," he said. 
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U.S. tourist and Korean War veteran Merrill Newman arrives at the Beijing airport on December 7, 2013, after being released by North Korea. Newman was detained in October 2013 by North Korean authorities just minutes before he was to depart the country after visiting through an organized tour. His son Jeff Newman said the Palo Alto, California, man had all the proper paperwork and set up his trip through a North Korean-approved travel agency. 
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Former President Jimmy Carter negotiated the release of Aijalon Gomes, who was detained in 2010 after crossing into North Korea illegally from China. Analysts say high-level visits give Pyongyang a propaganda boost and a way to save face when it releases a prisoner. 
Eddie Yong Su Jun was released by North Korea a month after he was detained in April 2011. His alleged crime was not provided to the media. The American delegation that secured his freedom included Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues. 
Robert Park was released by North Korea in 2010 without any apparent U.S. intervention. The Christian missionary crossed into North Korea from China, carrying a letter asking Kim Jong Il to free political prisoners and resign. North Korea's state-run news agency said Park was released after an "admission and sincere repentance of his wrongdoings." Here, Park holds a photo of Kim and a malnourished child during a protest in Seoul. 
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Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, was detained at Iran's Evin Prison, spending months in solitary confinement before Iran released her on bail in August 2007. Esfandiari was visiting her ailing mother in Tehran when she was arrested and charged with harming Iran's national security. 
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Filmmaker Timothy Tracy was arrested in Venezuela in April 2013 on allegations of funding opponents of newly elected President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chavez. Tracy went to Venezuela to make a documentary about the political division gripping the country. He was released in June 2013. Americans detained abroad
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Photos: Americans detained abroad 
N. Korea: American gets 6-year sentence Once sentenced, Miller hoped to meet Kenneth Bae, another American detained in North Korea.
He planned to secure Bae's release so both can serve as "witnesses" to the human rights violations in the nation, state media said.
"The crime committed by Miller Matthew Todd was prompted by his sinister political aim to deliberately slander the DPRK," it said.
DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Its government is a communist dictatorship renowned for human rights abuses.
Washington demands release
The U.S. State Department has demanded that North Korea release Miller and Bae, and American Jeffrey Fowle.
Fowle, 56, was arrested in June while traveling as a tourist.
Bae, who was detained in 2012, has been accused of planning to bring down the government through religious activities. He was moved from a hospital to a labor camp.
Miller talks to CNN
Earlier this month, Miller told CNN's Will Ripley that he "prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming here. And I deliberately committed my crime."
But Miller didn't elaborate on what his "crime" was. He said he wouldn't learn of his charges until he went to trial.
It's unclear whether his statements were made freely or under coercion.
First stop was South Korea
Miller's family lives in Bakersfield, and he is a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School, according to CNN affiliate KBAK.
In a July interview, a neighbor told The Associated Press that Miller went to South Korea about four years ago to visit his brother and started teaching English.
He traveled to North Korea this year after arranging a private tour through the U.S.-based company Uri Tours, which takes tourists into North Korea.
Uri Tours has said it doesn't have "any understanding of why" Miller ripped up his visa.
The company offers tours despite U.S. State Department warnings about arbitrary arrest and detention in North Korea.
CNN's Madison Park contributed to this report.
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