North Korea Arrests US Missionary
VOA News 28 December 2009
North Korea says it has arrested an American who illegally crossed the border from China last week.
Officials made the announcement in the state-run Korean Central News Agency Tuesday without giving any details.
The report apparently refers to U.S. Christian missionary and human rights activist Robert Park. A colleague, Jo Sung-rae, says Park entered North Korea on Christmas Day.
Jo said Park was carrying a Bible and a written human rights appeal for North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The U.S. State Department said Monday that it had no independent confirmation that Park was in North Korea, but is concerned about his fate.
A spokesman said Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea, has offered to try to obtain more information.
Two U.S. journalists who illegally crossed into North Korea in March were sentenced to 12 years at hard labor. They were freed in August after former U.S. President Bill Clinton intervened.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters, AP and AFP.
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