US fears new detainee report in NKorea is true

WASHINGTON, January 29 (Itar-Tass) -- The United States fears the
North Korean report about the detention of another US citizen for illegal
border crossing from China may be true.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on Thursday the arrest
of an unidentified American on Monday reported by the official Korean
Central News Agency may be "entirely possible".
"We do not have specific confirmation, but we're taking this
seriously", Crowley said. that it's entirely possible that we have a second American citizen
detained in North Korea, in addition to Robert Park."
In late December North Korea said it was holding a U.S. citizen for
illegally crossing border from China. Crowley identified the man as Robert
Park, an American missionary. He said the U.S. had requested consular
access to Park through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, as Washington has
no diplomatic relations with North Korea.
If the detention of a second American is confirmed, the U.S. will seek
similar access to him or her, Crowley said.

-0-nec