North Korea is denying the US access to a Korean American from Washington state arrested in early November, reports Yonhap.
“As we said about three or four weeks ago, we had contact through our Swedish protecting power. We have not been able to have another contact since then. We continue to ask,” department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. The US has no formal diplomatic relations with the communist country.
Google Executive Eric Schmidt along with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson traveled to North Korea last month and requested to see Bae, but were also denied.
The Pyongyang government will only say Bae committed an unspecified crime. He entered the country as a tour guide and one report from North Korea reported he was caught with sensitive materials.