North Korea `detains US tourist`

Pyongyang: North Korea has put a US tourist in custody after having caught him trying to enter into the country, state media reported Friday.

American tourist Miller Matthew Todd, 24, was detained April 10 "for his rash behaviour in the course of going through formalities for entry into the DPRK (North Korea) to tour it", reported Xinhua citing North Korea`s official KCNA news agency.

Todd had a tourist visa for North Korea, but tore it into pieces and shouted that "he would seek asylum" and "he came to the DPRK after choosing it as a shelter", it said.

This was a gross violation of the legal order of North Korea, the report said, adding the case is being investigated.