PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea said Friday that it has detained an American citizen who has confessed to unspecified crimes.
State media said in a short dispatch that someone named Pae Jun Ho entered North Korea on Nov. 3 as a tourist but was detained because of crimes.
The North said the crimes were “proven through evidence” but didn’t elaborate.
Pyongyang has detained and eventually released several Americans in recent years. Some have been journalists and others Christians accused of religious proselytizing.
In 2009, two journalists were detained after crossing into the North from China while on a reporting trip. They were later released.
