N. Korea investigating American for "illegal" entry: KCNA

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Tuesday that it was investigating an
American who entered the country across its border with China to draw attention
to the human rights condition there, Pyongyang's first apparent response since
the activist entered the country.
Robert Park, 28, recently entered North Korea to call international attention to
the North's human rights record, according to fellow activists. The communist
North is believed to maintain several concentration camps where tens of thousands
of political prisoners are reportedly being held.
"A U.S. citizen has been detained by authorities after illegally entering the
DPRK through the DPRK-China border on Dec. 24," a brief report from the North's
Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), monitored in Seoul, said. The DPRK is short for
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
The KCNA report, which did not disclose further details regarding the detainee,
said a "relevant organ" was conducting the investigation.
(END)