North Korea Says It Arrested South Korean Student Trying to Enter Country
College student, who is a U.S. permanent resident, detained at North Korea-China border, state media reported
The Friendship Bridge that connects China's Dandong to North Korea's Sinuiju. PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL—North Korea said it has arrested a U.S.-based South Korean college student for allegedly trying to enter the country illegally.
North Korea’s state media reported Saturday that 21-year old Joo Won-moon, who is a U.S. permanent resident, was detained in late April while allegedly trying to enter the country from Dandong, a city on the China-North Korea border.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Mr. Joo had allegedly admitted his entry to North Korea was a serious violation of the law. He is now under investigation, the report said.
A spokeswoman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related affairs, wasn’t immediately able to confirm the report. South Koreans need approval from their government to enter North Korea.
In March, South Korea called for the release of two of its citizens detained in North Korea, refuting Pyongyang’s accusation that they are spies. North Korea’s state media claimed that the two South Koreans, identified as Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil, had been gathering information on Pyongyang’s leadership under orders of the main South Korean spy agency, the National Intelligence Service.
In November last year, after months of diplomatic negotiations, North Korea released two Americans it had detained after accusing them of antistate acts. Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary, had been detained in North Korea for more than two years, and Matthew Todd Miller, from California, was arrested in April last year after arriving on a private tour of the country.
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