Bergen County Man Arrested For Illegally Entering North Korea, Reports Say

A South Korean student who lives in Tenafly was arrested last week for entering North Korea illegally, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday.

According to the state-run news agency, Won Moon Joo, 21, is a student at New York University, CNN reported.

Joo allegedly crossed into North Korea illegally from China, via the Yalu River.

The KCNA reported Joo “admitted that his illegal entry was a serious violation of North Korean law.

John Beckman, a spokesman for New York University, confirmed to NBC news that Joo was a junior at the university, but was not taking classes this semester and that the school was not aware of him traveling to China.

Beckman said that the university has been in touch with Joo’s family and expressed “our concerns over his welfare and to convey our support. His well-being is in our thoughts and prayers.”

He said NYU has been in touch wit the U.S. State Department and the South Korean Embassy.

North Korean occasionally arrests South Koreans, Americans, and other foreigners, claiming they are spies. They are often sentenced to long terms in prisons and work camps and live in deplorable conditions.