U.S. Man Detained in North Korea Begs for Mercy Over Crimes Against State

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - MAR. 25: A man claiming to be a naturalized American who has been held in North Korea since last October confessed Friday to what he described as acts aimed at overthrowing Pyongyang's regime and begged for mercy. During a meeting with media organizations based in Pyongyang in the presence of North Korean officials, the man, who identified himself as Kim Dong Chul, apologized for trying to steal military secrets in collusion with South Koreans. His appearance comes at a time when North Korea is ratcheting up tensions with South Korea and the United States over their ongoing largest-ever military drills, which Pyongyang repeatedly denounces as a rehearsal for invasion. North Korea has also unleashed a barrage of threats since the U.N. Security Council early this month imposed tougher sanctions on Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear test in January and its launch of a long-range rocket using banned ballistic missile technology in February. The news about Kim's detention was first reported by CNN in January after North Korea arranged his interview for the U.S. network just days following the nuclear test, or what Pyongyang claimed was its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb. According to Kim's explanation on Friday, he was detained on Oct. 2 in Rason, a special economic zone on the northeastern tip of North Korea bordering China and Russia, after he received a USB stick containing nuclear-linked and military secrets from his source. Kim said he was born on Aug. 24, 1953, in Seoul and moved to Virginia when he was 19 years old. The 62-year-old said he set up a company involved in trade in Rason around August 2008. Kim also said he took photos of North Koreans who appear to be having "miserable" lives at the request of a South Korean government official and received some money as a reward. Kim said he regrets being a "criminal."