North Korea Arrests U.S. College Student

North Korea said Friday it had arrested an American university student for committing what it said were anti-state acts.

Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency said the American was "arrested while perpetrating a hostile act against the DPRK after entering it under the guise of tourist for the purpose of bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation."

KCNA identified the person as Warmbier Otto Frederick, a student at "Virginia University." North Korea sometimes lists English-language surnames first.
The University of Virginia's website lists Warmbier as an undergrad there, and a Facebook page appearing to belong to Warmbier describes him as an Ohio native studying at UVA.

The China-based Young Pioneer Tours company confirmed that Warmbier was on one of its tours and said he had been detained in North Korea on Jan. 2.
CBS News correspondent Seth Doane says Warmbier was in North Korea for a five-day visit and was detained at Pyongyang's airport ahead of a flight back to China.

The tour company said Warmbier's family had been informed and that it was "in contact with the Swedish Embassy, (who act as the protecting interest for U.S citizens), who are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the case. We are also assisting the U.S. Department of State closely with regards to the situation."

An official at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea's capital, Seoul, told Reuters it was aware of the reported arrest.

The announcement came as Washington, Seoul and others are pushing hard to slap North Korea with tougher sanctions for its recent nuclear test. In the past, North Korea has announced the arrests of foreign detainees in times of tension with the outside world in apparent attempts to wrest concessions.
Earlier this month, CNN reported that Pyongyang had detained another U.S. citizen, on suspicion of spying. It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the North and said authorities had accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets.

The U.S. State Department said it could not confirm the CNN report. It declined to discuss the issue further or confirm whether the U.S. was consulting with Sweden, which handles U.S. consular issues in North Korea because Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations.

The United States and North Korea are in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.