Seoul: North Korean authorities Friday arrested at Pyongyang International Airport a U.S. citizen who was on his way out of the country, Yonhap news agency reported today.
The news agency in South Korea citing sources reported that the U.S. citizen, identified by his surname Kim who was engaged in aid and relief programs to North Korea, was arrested Friday at Pyongyang International Airport as he was attempting to leave the country.
Kim in his late 50s reportedly was in the North for about a month to discuss relief activities. He is the third Ameircan citizen being detained by the North Korean authorities.
Other Americans being held in North Korea include Ohio native Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was arrested in January 2016 while he was on a tour of North Korea, and Kim Dong Chul, who was arrested in October 2015 while in North Korea on business.
Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have risen in recent months, with Pyongyang continuing to conduct nuclear and ballistic missile testing in defiance of international bans.
North Korea's leader has been equally outraged by massive joint military exercises being conducted by the U.S. and South Korea.
Trump sent an aircraft carrier-led strike group described as 'armada' to the Korean peninsula to press his point, one of a series of measures that indicate his willingness to shake up foreign policy strategy.
Earlier US President Donald Trump said the North Korea problem "will be taken care of", as speculation mounted the reclusive state could be preparing another nuclear or missile test.