adminPae Jun-Ho, entered North Korea 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 yesterday.
“In the process of investigation, evidence proving that he committed a crime against the DPRK was revealed. He admitted his crime,” the agency said in a short despatch.
“Legal actions are being taken against Pae in line with the criminal procedure law”, it added, without elaborating.
The arrest was first reported earlier this month by a South Korean newspaper, Kookmin Ilbo, which had identified the detainee as a 44-year-old Korean-American tour operator.
The newspaper said he had been travelling with five other tourists and was detained when a computer hard disk was found among the group’s belongings — AFP.
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