North Korea confirmed on Friday that it had arrested a US citizen in November, saying he had admitted to unspecified charges and suggesting he would be formally prosecuted.
The man, identified as Pae Jun-Ho, entered the North on November 3 as a tourist, and “committed a crime” against the country, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
“He was put into custody by a relevant institution,” it added.
The United States has no diplomatic ties with North Korea and KCNA said consular officials from the Swedish embassy, which acts on behalf of the US, had visited Pae on Friday.
“In the process of investigation, evidence proving that he committed a crime against the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - the North’s official name) was revealed. He admitted his crime,” the agency said in a short dispatch.
“Legal actions are being taken against Pae in line with the criminal procedure law”, it added, without elabourating.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell confirmed that a US citizen had been detained in North Korea.
