The American national the U.S. State Department announced as being detained in North Korea is known to be an ethnic Korean businessman in his 60s known by the surname Jeon.

Jeon is a member of a church in Irvine, southern California and has been doing missionary work in North Korea with the base China. North Korea-related sources say he's been detained since November.

A source says that Jeon, a U.S. citizen who has a North Korea entry visa, is believed to have engaged in missionary activities, while doing business traveling between the North and China.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed Tuesday that an American citizen was being held in the North and urged Pyongyang to "release this citizen on humanitarian grounds."

Toner did not provide any information of this citizen, citing the Privacy Act.