North Korea vows to ‘ruthlessly punish’ captured US citizens
Shock statement follows hermit state's announcement it had detained a fourth US citizen over the weekend
NORTH Korea has said it has the right to “ruthlessly punish” any American citizens it detains.
The shock statement follows the hermit state’s announcement that it had detained a fourth American over the weekend.
According to Reuters, which cited the nation’s KCNA news agency, the North Korean government said the alleged crimes of recent Americans detained by its authorities would be announced shortly.
Among the four most recent detentions, Korean officials have held two American citizens with links to a private university in Pyongyang in the past month.
The hermit state announced it had detained Kim Hak Song, who worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, on Saturday last week, on suspicion of “hostile acts”.
KCNA said: “A relevant institution of the DPRK detained American citizen Kim Hak Song on May 6 under a law of the DPRK on suspension of his hostile acts against it.”
And US citizen Kim Sang Dok, who has links to the same university, was detained in late April, also for “hostile acts”.
A spokesman for the US State Department has confirmed the latest detention: “The security of US citizens is one of the department’s highest priorities.
“When a US citizen is reported to be detained in North Korea, we work with the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang.”
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Speaking to , An Chan Il, president of the World Institute for North Korea Studies and a former defector, said North Korea may be attempting “hostage diplomacy”.
He explained: “Kim Jong Un is using hostage diplomacy as a part of his military and defence strategy with focus on preventing the US from removing him from power as well as to prevent the US from taking military options against North Korea.”
Meanwhile, Koh Yu Hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul’s Dongguk University, said taking hostages could help the hermit state limit options for the US.
He said: “Although such hostage talks don’t usually lead to negotiation over missile or nuclear weapons…the added numbers can certainly hamper and limit options the US can take over North Korea.”
The news comes amid heightened tensions between the US and North Korea.
Tyrannical North Korea threatened the US with a “full-scale” nuclear war and claimed the superpower is running scared of Kim Jong-un’s missiles on Thursday.
Tensions are mounting between the regime and America after it accused Washington of trying to assassinate the tubby tyrant.
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