13 May, 2017
The detainee was identified as Kim Hak-song, who was a US professor working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
Along with Kim Hak-Song and Tony Kim, two other USA citizens are now detained in North Korea: Kim Dong-Chul, who was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, and Otto Warmbier, who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
In a statement, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology said Kim was doing agricultural development work with the university's agricultural farm.
North Korea on Friday accused the US and South Korean spy agencies of an unsuccessful assassination attempt on leader Kim Jong Un involving biochemical weapons.
The arrest comes just weeks after USA citizen Sang Duk "Tony" Kim was arrested at Pyongyang International Airport for alleged hostile acts. Since the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the North are practically nil, the State Department is working with the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang to negotiate Song's predicament.
Kim's detention comes as tensions between the two countries increase over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
Friday's report said that a "hideous terrorist group" conspired with the CIA and South Korea's National Intelligence Service to mount the "bio-chemical" attack.
'On May 3, some [expletive] by the name of Cory Gardner, who sits on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, perpetrated wicked blasphemy against our supreme dignity during an interview with NBC, ' the government said in a statement read on state-run media.
"The Department of State strongly recommends against all travel by US citizens to North Korea", the official added.
Supporters said the legislation was meant to send a strong message to North Korea, amid worldwide concern over the escalation of its nuclear program.
"Make a change so the North Korea people can be free", Song, who now lives in South Korea and creates artwork that mocks Kim, told the Mail.
"Professor Kim was a man who would call North Korea as his own country.
Finally, detaining an American citizen both limits possible US military escalation and can possibly be used to leverage negotiations if Pyongyang wants to open a diplomatic channel to the U.S". She insisted that he did not engage in missionary work in fiercely atheistic North Korea.
The idea is among a set of proposals that the USA floated during recent discussions with Chinese officials on how best to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue.
The North Korean regime hurled insults at Colorado Sen.
Kim Sang Dok, the former accounting instructor at the Pyongyang university, was arrested at the Pyongyang International Airport on April 22, the KCNA said.
