US citizen detained in North Korea ‘on suspicion of acts against the state’
Kim Hak Song was employed by Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and becomes fourth American detained by brutal regime of Kim Jong-un
A US citizen has been arrested in North Korea.
They have been named as Kim Hak Song and have been detained “on suspicion of acts against the state”, according to the state news agency.
Song is the fourth American to have been detained by the pariah state following escalating tensions with the US since the election of Donald Trump.
The North Korean government confirmed that Song was detained yesterday and that they worked at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
They said: "A relevant institution is now conducting detailed investigation into his crimes.";
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The US state department said it was aware of the report and that “the security of U.S. citizens is one of the department’s highest priorities”.
In late April Kim Sang Dok became the third US citizen detained by leader Kim Jong-un's brutal regime.
The state news agency said on Wednesday that Dok was arrested for "acts of hostility aimed to overturn” the country.
The Korean Central News Agency did not confirm whether the two cases were related.
One of the US citizens to have also been detained is Otto Warmbier who is now serving a 15-year prison term with hard labour after being found guilty of alleged anti-state acts
Another, Kim Dong Chul, is serving a 10-year term with hard labour for alleged espionage.
The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is the only privately funded university in North Korea and is unique for having a large number of foreign staff.
Pyonyang’s brutal regime has often been accused of using foreign detainees as leverage in diplomatic discussions which in recent years have led to high-profile releases of American citizens.
The US and North Korea have no official diplomatic relations so work through the Swedish Embassy in Pyonyang as an intermediary.
The arrest comes amid fears that Pyongyang is preparing another round of nuclear or missile tests with President Donald Trump increasing tensions by announcing his administration would no longer use the approach of ‘strategic patience’.
Instead he said he isn’t ruling out military action against Pyonyang but has also said he would be willing to talk with Kim Jong-un under the right circumstances.
On Friday North Korea accused the US and South Korean spy agencies of an unsuccessful assassination attempt on their leader Kim Jong-un involving biochemical weapons
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