WASHINGTON -- An American citizen being held in North Korea has been accused of getting involved in unauthorized religious activities in the reclusive communist state, informed sources said Wednesday.

   The Korean-American businessman has been held in North Korea since November for his involvement in missionary work, the sources said, adding the man in his 60s attends a church in Orange County, California, and has been traveling frequently to North Korea on a business visa.

   "I understand many churches in the Korean community in the U.S.

have been engaging in missionary work in North Korea," a source said. "In the process, such a mishap might have happened."

   Members of some South Korean and Korean-American churches have been caught in China in recent years for their role in helping North Korean refugees defect to South Korea or engaging in religious activities in North Korea.

   In November, the U.S. listed North Korea as among the eight worst offenders of religious freedom, together with China, Iran, Eritrea, Myanmar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, saying the reclusive communist state severely restricts religious activity except for that supervised by the government.

   State Department spokesman Mark Toner Tuesday confirmed an American citizen was being held and urged North Korea to "release this citizen on humanitarian grounds" and "treat this citizen in a manner consistent with international human rights law."

   Toner did not elaborate on who the citizen is and what he or she is held for, citing the Privacy Act.

   The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs involving American citizens in North Korea, has had access to the person, the spokesman said. The U.S. does not have diplomatic ties with North Korea.

   Another Korean-American, Robert Park, crossed the Chinese border on Christmas Day 2009 to draw international attention to North Korea's poor human rights record. A devout Christian, Park was released in February last year.

   Aijalon Gomes, another earnest Christian from Boston, sneaked into North Korea in January last year and was sentenced to eight years in a labor and re-education camp. He was brought back by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter seven months later.

   The 2010 religious freedom report said North Korean believers are treated harshly.

   "Religious persons engaging in proselytizing in the country, and those who have been in contact with foreigners or missionaries have been arrested and subjected to harsh penalties," the report said. "Refugees and defectors who had been in prison stated that prisoners held on the basis of their religious beliefs generally were treated worse than other inmates."

   The report said that "23 Christians were arrested in May 2010 for belonging to an underground church in Kuwol-dong, Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province," adding, "Reportedly three were executed, and the others were sent to Yoduk political prison camp.

An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons were believed to be held in the 'kwan li so'(re-education) political prison camps, some for religious reasons."

(Yonhap News)