By DPA,
Washington: North Korea has informed the US that it has detained a second American citizen who allegedly entered the Stalinist state through China, the US State Department said Friday.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said no details were provided about the individual, including the identity. The US government is working though the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang to gain access to the detainee, Crowley said.
The Swedes represent US interests in the country because the US and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations. The individual was arrested Jan 25 and becomes the second known US citizen in North Korean custody.
Another, Robert Park, was detained by North Korea in December while wandering across the border from China on a religious mission. Washington has also sought access to him.
In March two US journalists were arrested after allegedly entering North Korea illegally and sentenced to 12 years of hard labour. They were released and flown back to the US months later after a meeting in Pyongyang between former US president Bill Clinton and North Korea leader Kim Jong Il.