SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea confirmed Friday it was holding a U.S. citizen for a "crime" he has admitted committing against the communist country while leading a tour group there.

"American citizen Pae Jun Ho who entered Rason City of the DPRK on Nov. 3 for the purpose of tour committed a crime against the DPRK. He was put into custody by a relevant institution," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report, monitored in Seoul.