SEOUL – Amid heightened tension with United States, North Korea has arrested a US professor following the charges of “hostile acts” against the regime, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday.
The government called Kim Hak-song “a man who was doing business in relation to the operation of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.” KCNA reported that the American was detained Saturday, but did not publish further details on his alleged crime.
He is the second US professor teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology to be apprehended in recent months.
In a statement, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology said Kim was working at agricultural development with the university’s agricultural farm.
“The relevant authority is currently carrying out a detailed investigation into the crime of Kim Hak-song,” the state-run news agency said.
In April, North Korea arrested Kim Sang Duk for “hostile acts” against the regime. He was also working at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was awarded 15 years in jail with hard labor in 2016 for removing a political sign.
