N. Korea detains another American citizen over purported hostile acts

Associated Press

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

North Korea on Sunday said it detained another American citizen over unspecified hostile acts against the country.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim Hak Song, an employee of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, was detained Saturday.

North Korea on Wednesday announced the detention of an accounting instructor at the same university, Kim Sang Dok, for “acts of hostility aimed to overturn” the country. The KCNA didn’t say whether the two cases are connected.

“A relevant institution is now conducting detailed investigation into his crimes,” the KCNA said about Kim Hak Song.

In Washington, the State Department said it was aware of the report of the new detention and that “the security of U.S. citizens is one of the department’s highest priorities.”

Kim Hak Song is among at least four Americans being detained in North Korea. The others are Otto Warmbier, a Cincinnati native serving a 15-year prison term with hard labor for purported anti-state acts, and Kim Dong Chul, serving a 10-year term with hard labor for purported espionage.

Kim Sang Dok, the former accounting instructor at the Pyongyang university, was arrested at the Pyongyang International Airport on April 22, the KCNA said. It said he was “intercepted for committing criminal acts” to overthrow the North’s government, but didn’t elaborate.