A former Korean American professor is being held in captivity by the North Koreans.
The man only known by his surname Kim is the third American currently being held and the second Korean American.
CNN reports Kim was arrested as he was looking to fly out of Pyongyang International Airport Saturday morning.
“He was prevented from getting on the flight out of Pyongyang,” Martina Aberg, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Pyongyang told CNN. “We don’t comment further than this.”
Last year, Kim Dong-chul, a naturalized US citizen born in South Korea, was sentenced to 10 years’ hard labor on charges of spying. Also last year, U.S. student Otto Warmbier was arrested attempting to steal a sign from a hotel.
Other Americans who have previously detained in North Korea have eventually been released including Laura Ling, a journalist and sister of fellow journalist, Lisa Ling. Laura was released in 2009 after 140 days of imprisonment.
The BBC quoting the South Korean Yonhap News Agency says Kim worked as a professor at Yanbian University in China and was in North Korea for about a month working for relief programs prior to his arrest.
Tensions remain high between North Korea and the U.S. The USS Carl Vinson is leading a U.S. Naval Battle Group and is expected to arrive on the Korean peninsula this week.
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RE: Second Korean American Held by North Korea: Stop going into North Korea people.