US citizen held in North Korea for spying

A naturalized US citizen has been arrested by North Korea over espionage charges amid rising tensions in the Korean peninsula.

Kim Dong Chul, who used to live in Fairfax, Virginia, said he is being held by North Korea for spying for South Korea, CNN reported from Pyongyang on Monday.

Chul, 62, asked the South Korean or US government to rescue him, CNN said.

“I’m asking the US or South Korean government to rescue me,” he said during an interview at a hotel in the North Korean capital.

According to Chul, he was arrested in October 2015 for spying on behalf of “South Korean conservative elements.”

“I was tasked with taking photos of military secrets and ‘scandalous’ scenes,” he said. Asked whether he worked for the US at any time, Chul stressed that he did not.