SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Robert King, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights, has called on North Korea to release the American citizen it’s holding.
North Korea announced after Christmas that it was holding an American for illegally entering the country from China. He is widely believed to Robert Park, an American missionary from Tucson, Ariz.
In South Korea Monday, King declined to say whether Washington believes Park is the one being held, but said, “We are actively working to find out where he is being held and to urge that he be released.”
In the absence of diplomatic relations, Sweden represents the United States in North Korea. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. has not heard from Sweden on the fate of Robert Park.
King called North Korea’s human rights situation “appalling” and said it must improve before the country can expect to normalize relations with the United States.