Pyongyang silent on fate of American activist in North Korea

Authorities in North Korea continue their silence about the fate of an American missionary, Robert Park, a Korean-American, who crossed into the country on Friday.

Human rights activists in Seoul said that Park crossed into North Korea on Christmas Day to call attention to human rights abuses in the reclusive communist state. He carried a letter urging North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to release political prisoners, shut down the concentration camps where they are held, and open borders to allow aid teams to enter the country.

A colleague of Park said he is a member of an international campaign called "Freedom and Life for All North Koreans."

Other activists said Park had become known over the last year in Seoul human rights circles. They suggested that his passion for helping North Koreans may have blinded him to the consequences of his actions.