© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

North Korea Detains American Citizen In Pyongyang

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are already running high over the possibility of another North Korean nuclear test. Possibly complicating matters, North Korea detained an American citizen in Pyongyang over the weekend. NPR's Anthony Kuhn is following all of this from Beijing.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: On the fringes of the North Korean capital is a school called the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, the only privately run university in the country. In a statement, the university says that it's adjunct professor, 58-year-old Tony Kim, who also goes by Kim Sang-duk, was detained at the airport in Pyongyang as he was about to leave the country on Saturday local time. The university says Kim's detention has nothing to do with his academic work.

So far, North Korea has remained silent about Kim's detention. In past, Pyongyang has demanded that Washington send high-level envoys to obtain the release of U.S. citizens detained in North Korea. For example, North Korea freed three U.S. citizens during visits by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in 2009 and 2010, respectively. But Zhang Liangui, a North Korea expert at the Central Party School in Beijing, says that this time is different.

ZHANG LIANGUI: (Through interpreter) North Korea has already clearly stated that it's not interested in a dialogue with the U.S. So they're not necessarily detaining this man for the sake of a dialogue.

KUHN: Tony Kim is now the third American citizen detained in North Korea. The North Korean nuclear issue, though, remains front and center. President Trump spoke about it by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Monday morning Beijing time. The Central Party School's Zhang Liangui notes that this is the second time the two men have spoken since they met in Florida earlier this month.

ZHANG: (Through interpreter) The fact that they're calling each other so often shows that the U.S. and China are communicating smoothly and they both think the situation is very serious.

KUHN: The U.S. has not ruled out military action. For the second time in two weeks, the U.S. says that an aircraft carrier strike group is heading north into the western Pacific. The first time Washington made the announcement, the carrier was headed in the opposite direction. On Sunday, North Korea threatened to sink the carrier with a single strike. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

(SOUNDBITE OF EDAMAME'S "HOLLOW TREES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Before moving to Seoul in 2018, he traveled to the region to cover major stories including the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.