In a hotel in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, 62-year-old Kim Dong Chul, who North Korea claims is a naturalized American citizen who used to live in Fairfax, Virginia, asked the government of the United States and South Korea for help in an interview.
"I'm asking the U.S. or South Korean government to rescue me," the alleged American citizen said, according to CNN.
If the North's claims are indeed true, Kim would be the second Westerner who is currently being held captive in the reclusive communist state, with the other being Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian pastor who is currently serving a life sentence in the country due to charges of subversion.
Under the close watch of North Korean guards, Kim described how he spied on behalf of "South Korean conservative elements," and that he was tasked with taking photos of "military secrets and scandalous scenes," reports The Voice of America.
He further stated that he had been residing in China near the North Korean border for the past 15 years, where he regularly took trips to Rason, a North Korean special economic zone, where he worked as the president of a company involved in international trade and hotel services.
He also stated that he started his work as a spy in April 2013, until he was arrested by North Korean officials in October of last year, according to The Huffington Post.
Kim, however, stated that his spying activities were tied solely to South Korea, never to the United States.
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