North Korea releases video of South Korean missionary accused of spying

SEOUL, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A South Korean missionary held in North Korea said he had committed crimes against the state, according to video footage provided by the North's state news agency on Thursday, in an attempt to build an underground church.

The South Korean missionary, identified by the North as Kim Jong Uk, 50, spoke at what appeared to be a stage-managed media conference from beneath portraits of North Korea's former leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.

His sudden appearance was a surprise after the two Koreas showed signs of warming ties with the reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War and Seoul's humanitarian offer to support foot-and-mouth disease vaccines for the North in the past week. News Search ID:nL3N0LT1L4

"Since I first arrived in Dandong, China, in August, 2007, I had thought a lot about sneaking into Pyongyang," Kim said in the video.

Kim, wearing a dark suit and blue tie, said he had first met North Koreans while working as a missionary in China.

"I told them we should build God's nation and break down the North's regime and political system. I gave them an anti-republic education and orders to go back and build an underground church," Kim said.

North Korea claims Kim is a South Korean spy and was secretly trying to overthrow the state.

Pyongyang said in November it had arrested a South Korean spy and was investigating him on charges of espionage, a rare report of a secret agent being captured by either of the Korean rivals. News Search ID:nL3N0IS3JF

North Korea espouses freedom of religion but it is ranked as one of the world's most oppressive regimes in that regard. A United Nations report issued this month cited a lack of religious freedom in a state whose human rights abuses it likened to those of Nazi Germany. News Search ID:nL6N0LN3UE

North Korea has held Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae for more than a year and convicted him of trying to overthrow the state. A North Korean court sentenced Bae to 15 years' hard labour and efforts by Washington to secure his release have been thwarted.

Earlier this month, Australian missionary John Short was detained by North Korean authorities in Pyongyang for carrying religious materials, his family said.

(Reporting By Ju-min Park and James Pearson; Editing by Paul Tait)

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Keywords: KOREA NORTH/MISSIONARY