iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. citizen and academic was detained in North Korea while trying to leave the country with his wife on Saturday, a spokesperson for the university that employed him has confirmed.
Tony Kim, 58, who goes by his Korean name– Kim Sang-duk– was detained while trying to board a flight to China from Pyongyang’s international airport, according to Colin McCulloch, director of external relations at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), where Kim taught accounting.
The university’s executive leadership released a statement Sunday saying that it “has learned that Mr Sang Duk (Tony) Kim was detained” by North Korean authorities as he was about to leave the country, “after several weeks of service, teaching at PUST.
“We understand that this detention is related to an investigation into matters that are not connected in any way with the work of PUST.”
At least two other American citizens are currently being held by North Korea — Otto Warmbier, a a 21-year-old student at University of Virginia, and Kim Dong Chul.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.