Evan Carl Hunziker (June 2, 1970 – December 18, 1996) was the first American civilian to be arrested by North Korea on espionage charges since the end of the Korean War.

Hunziker spent three months in North Korean custody before being released and returned to the United States thanks to the negotiation efforts of then-New Mexico congressman Bill Richardson.

The two later moved to the United States, settling in Tacoma, Washington, where they had three children, and Hunziker's father worked in a variety of jobs including as a bus driver and cement layer.

Hunziker reportedly converted to Christianity while in jail, and upon his seventh release, in 1995, fled back to Washington hoping to avoid being brought up on pending criminal assault charges that his mother had filed against him in Alaska.

[7] Evan Hunziker was permitted to send a letter home on October 12, in which he stated that "I came across the border as a Christian man first and foremost to promote peace, and ...

[9] Eventually, Bill Richardson, a New Mexico congressman who had a history of negotiating for the release of Americans held by countries with whom the United States had poor or no formal relations, arranged to go to North Korea to discuss the matter.

[6][8] According to Richardson, the North Korean mission to the United Nations in New York City initially demanded US$100,000 as a bail and fine for the release of Hunziker, whom they considered a spy and an illegal interloper.

Hunziker was first flown to Yokota Air Base in Japan for a medical examination on November 27, where he was found to have two red marks on his neck, possibly rope burns; North Korea claimed he attempted to hang himself while in custody.

[8] After his release, Hunziker moved back to Tacoma, into the Olympus Hotel owned by his mother, as he would not return to Alaska due to the three outstanding warrants for his arrest by the Anchorage police.