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North Korea detains US citizen for illegal entry

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed Tuesday that police have detained a US citizen for illegally entering North Korea. The KCNA did not disclose the identity of the individual, but it is suspected to be US-Korean rights activist Robert Park. A spokesperson for Pax Koreana, a rights group associated with Park, said that he entered North Korea to protests its human rights record and to deliver a letter to leader Kim Jong Il. The KCNA said that his entry is being investigated, but did not say how long he will be held or what charges he will face. In August, Kim pardoned US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been arrested in March for allegedly crossing into the country. Before the pardon, the two had been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Some US commentators have suggested that the journalists were being used as pawns in policy disputes between the US and North Korea. North Korea has long faced international criticism for its human rights record, but has defended its policies before the UN.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 29, 2009 (boomark / email).