The U.S. government would not immediately confirm reports Wednesday that an elderly American man has been detained in North Korea since last month.

"We've seen the reports. I can't provide you any specific details, given the Privacy Act," Jen Psaki, the State Department's spokeswoman, said at a daily press briefing.

Japan's Kyodo News Service reported the possibility of another American citizen being held in the communist nation.

Some American media identified the man as Merrill Newman, 85, from Palo Alto in northern California. He reportedly entered North Korea on a tourist visa.

Newman is known to have served as an infantry officer during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Kenneth Bae, a 45-year-old Korean-American man, has been detained in North Korea for more than a year. He is in jail on charges of conducting hostile acts against the North Korean regime.

On Tuesday, the State Department issued an updated travel warning for North Korea.

"Travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea is not routine, and U.S. citizens crossing into North Korea, even accidentally, have been subject to arbitrary arrest and long-term detention," it said in a public notice. "The Department of State has also received reports of DPRK (North Korea) authorities arbitrarily detaining U.S. citizens and not allowing them to depart the country."

It is the second renewal of the official travel warning in less than two months, a break from the practice of doing so every six months.

Psaki said, "Sometimes they're updated in between that time frame. In this case and in any case, they're updated when new information comes, becomes available. But it's never based on a single case." (Yonhap News)