SEOUL: Reports coming out of Korea on Thursday are saying that an American citizen has been arrested and been in detention for more than one month. Local reports cited a CNN report saying that Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American tour operator was arrested last month and has been in detention since. According to CNN, American officials do not believe that Bae, who has been linked with a Protestant religious group, is being mistreated. The Swedish government, which acts as the protecting power for the United States in North Korea, is trying to get him released, an official said. Here in Seoul, Swedish government officials declined to comment on the situation of Bae when Bikyamasr.com contacted them on Thursday. The US State Department would also not confirm or deny the reports of Bae's detention Tuesday, citing “privacy considerations.” This is common practice when dealing with any US citizen anywhere in the world. Only family members are given information from US government officials. “We're obviously aware of these reports that a US citizen has been detained in North Korea,” Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the State Department said at a press briefing Tuesday. “We obviously have no higher priority than the welfare of our citizens … I, frankly, can't comment any further than that due to privacy considerations.” Bae, 44, entered the North Korean port city of Rajin on November 3 along with five other tourists for a five-day trip, South Korean media reported. The Kookmin Ilbo newspaper quoted an anonymous source that said Bae was allegedly detained after one of the tourists was found to be in possession of “computer hard disk” that may have contained sensitive information. It is not clear where he is being held.
