A Christian missionary from the US has entered North Korea carrying a letter to leader Kim Jong II in order to call attention to the tens of thousands of political prisoners believed held in the communist state, an activist said Saturday.
Robert Park, a 28-year-old Korean-American, crossed the frozen Tumen River into North Korea from China on Christmas Day to urge Kim to release political prisoners and shut down the ``concentration camps' where they are held, said the activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the issue's sensitivity.
It was unclear Saturday if Park was in North Korean custody. Illegal entry into the country is punishable by up to three years in prison. The communist regime held two American journalists for nearly five months earlier this year before freeing them during a visit by former President Bill Clinton.
Park is a missionary from Tucson, Arizona, according to the activist, who works for Pax Koreana, a conservative Seoul-based group that calls for North Korea to improve its human rights record. ``I am an American citizen. I brought God's love. God loves you and God bless you,' Park was quoted by two activists as shouting in Korean as he crossed the North Korean border, according to the activist who spoke to The Associated Press.
He said Park was last seen by the two other activists, who saw him enter North Korea near the north-eastern city of Hoeryong from the poorly guarded border late Friday afternoon. He added that the crossing was videotaped and the footage would be released Sunday. North Korea holds some 154,000 political prisoners in six large camps across the country, according to South Korean government estimates.
The North has long been regarded as having one of the world's worst human rights records, but it rejects outside criticism and denies the existence of prison camps. North Korean state media did not mention any illegal crossing. The country's criminal code punishes illegal entry with up to three years in prison. ``Please open your borders so that we may bring food, provisions, medicine, necessities, and assistance to those who are struggling to survive,' said the letter, according to a copy posted on Pax Koreana's Web site.
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