A US citizen has reportedly been arrested as he tried to fly out of North Korea, becoming the third American to be detained there, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Sunday.
SEOUL, South Korea — A US citizen has reportedly been arrested as he tried to fly out of North Korea, becoming the third American to be detained there, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Sunday.
The US State Department said it was aware of the reports, but there was no official confirmation of the arrest, which would come at a tense time in relations between Pyongyang and Washington.
Yonhap quoted sources as saying the man, identified only by his surname Kim, was arrested on Friday at Pyongyang International Airport on his way out of the country.
It said Kim, aged in his late 50s and a former professor at China’s Yanbian University of Science and Technology, had been involved in aid programs for the North.
He reportedly was in North Korea for about a month to discuss relief activities, Yonhap said. The reason for his arrest was unclear.
“We are aware of reports that a US citizen was detained in North Korea, ” a State Department official said in Washington.
Due to the lack of diplomatic relations, “In cases where US citizens are reported to be detained in North Korea, we work with the Swedish embassy, which serves as the United States’ Protecting Power in North Korea.
