North Korea says it has arrested United States university student

The date of his arrest wasn’t clear.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, campaigning in New Hampshire as a Republican presidential candidate, called the arrest “inexcusable”.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said it was aware of the report.

The state news agency claimed that the student entered North Korea nominally for tourism, though the real intention was to undermine North Korea’s unity under the USA government’s acquiescence and control.

Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, of the University of Virginia, was in North Korea for a five-day New Year trip and was detained at Pyongyang airport on January 2 ahead of a flight back to China, said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours, which organized the visit.

Social media accounts for Warmbier show interests in finance, travel and rap music.

Warmbier was on the dean’s list at the University of Virginia, CNN affiliate WCPO-TV reported.

“He’s an incredible guy”, added Miles Kirwin, who said he was a Theta Chi fraternity brother. The new site said he was the school’s salutatorian in 2013, and quoted his old soccer coach as saying he was a gifted player.

KCNA identified the person as Warmbier Otto Frederick, a student at Virginia University. The tour group has reportedly been in touch with Warmbier’s family, U.S. officials and the Swedish Embassy in North Korea. “You have to be careful in a way that we wouldn’t think of as normal”. The married father of three attends church regularly with his family and returned to work with the city of Moraine street department near Dayton.

Fowle was detained after leaving a Bible he said he hoped would get to “underground” Christians.

The detention comes at a sensitive time, with the United States taking a leading role in worldwide efforts to secure tough sanctions on North Korea over its latest nuclear test. Some foreigners previously arrested have read statements of guilt that they later said were coerced.

North Korea, which is trying to promote tourism partly as a way to earn foreign currency, dramatically eased restrictions on American tourists in 2008, allowing for more Americans to visit at more times of the year.

One is a man who identified himself as Kim Dong Chul and said he was a naturalized American citizen who used to live in Fairfax, Va., when he was presented to CNN earlier this month.

A statement from Young Pioneer Tours says, “We can confirm that the reports that one of our clients is being detained in Pyongyang are true”.

She also said South Korea was embroiled in corruption and labour disputes and spoke of her “surprise” at the country’s high suicide rates. Most are adventure-seekers curious about life behind the last sliver of the iron curtain, and ignore critics who say their dollars prop up a repressive regime.

Since October, North Korea has been repeatedly calling on the United States to engage in talks for a permanent peace treaty to replace the armistice that stopped, but technically never ended, the 1950-53 Korean War.

Son Ok-Sun fled to China 16 years ago, before moving to South Korea in 2007.