US warns its citizens against North Korea travel after new arrest

WASHINGTON: The US has strongly warned its citizens against travelling to North Korea following the arrest of a fourth US citizen in the reclusive country.

The State Department said Americans in that country are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under its system of law enforcement.

"This system imposes unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the United States and threatens US citizen detainees with being treated in accordance with wartime law of the DPRK," it said.

The US man, Kim Hak-Song, was detained for "hostile acts," the official KCNA news agency said, adding he had worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST).

At least 16 US citizens have been detained in North Korea in the past ten years.

North Korean authorities have detained those who travelled independently and those who were part of organised tours, the State Department said.