MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The detained student is reportedly a permanent resident of Tenafly, New Jersey, and is currently under investigation by a “competent institution.”
“South Korean resident in the U.S. Won Moon Joo, 21, student of New York University, was arrested while illegally entering the DPRK after crossing the Amnok River from Dandong, China on April 22,” the Korean Central News Agency said.
Amnok River, also known as Yalu, forms the border between the two countries and is frequently cruised by North Korean patrol boats.
“He admitted that his illegal entry was a serious violation of the law of the DPRK,” the agency said.
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, are still formally at war, as no peace treaty was ever signed after the war of 1950-1953.