SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said Friday an American imprisoned for illegally entering the reclusive country has tried to kill himself.

Aijalon Mahli Gomes, from Boston, attempted to commit suicide and was being treated at a hospital, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported, citing information from "a relevant" government entity.

KCNA said the attempt was "driven by his strong guilty conscience" and despair that the U.S. government has not tried to gain his freedom.

The brief dispatch also said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang was aware of his condition. The U.S. and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations, and Sweden handles Washington's interests in the country.

In Stockholm, the Swedish Foreign Ministry declined to comment, referring queries to the U.S. State Department.

Gomes was sentenced in April to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 for entering the country illegally and for an unspecified "hostile act."

The reported suicide attempt came weeks after North Korea threatened to increase punishment for Gomes amid tensions over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship that Seoul and Washington have blamed on Pyongyang.

KCNA reported in June that the North was examining what harsher measures to take against Gomes under a wartime law, and would be compelled to consider applying the law if the U.S. persisted in its "hostile approach."

North Korea has freed three other Americans detained for illegal entry, but ruled out Gomes' release amid the ongoing tensions.

Diplomats say the U.N. Security Council is set Friday morning in New York to approve a statement condemning a deadly torpedo attack on the South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors, but the declaration stops short of directly blaming North Korea.

The North denies it was responsible and has warned any punishment would trigger war.

Gomes's motivation for entering North Korea is unclear. He had been teaching English in South Korea before being arrested in the North on Jan. 25.

In late April, he was allowed to speak to his mother by telephone.

Gomes had attended rallies in Seoul in support of Robert Park, a fellow Christian who crossed into North Korea from China to call attention to the North's dismal human rights record.

Park was expelled from North Korea about 40 days after entering the country last Christmas.

American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were freed last August during a trip to North Korea by former President Bill Clinton after being held for five months for illegally entering the North.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/09/nkorea-imprisoned-american-tried-kill/?test=latestnews

Attempted suicide my a$$. They tortured the guy and attempted suicide is a good cover.

The State Department hasn't taken this case serioously since day one. They need to immediately have the Swiss Embassy check on this guy and the situation since they handle incident on our behalf there.

I find it funny this happends after N. Korea attacked S. korea last month and as were pushing for strong punishments on the North for this.

C'mon Obama put on your big boy pants, it's time to act.

Look, I wouldn't go to any country for any reason that I knew would throw me in jail unless I was ready to go to jail. Why did he go to North Korea? There really isn't any excuse, because he knew probably what would have happened to him thinking that the US would try to come get his butt out. Guess he thought wrong. At this point it doesn't matter whether he attempted suicide or not (which I believe he did) these Christians need to seriously butt out of peoples business. It isn't America, there is no freedom of whatever. So you get what you ask for.

I totally agree with you, but I think the State Department needs to activly try and free him then charge his a$$ for proviking a cournty that is hostile to the US. Personally I wouldn't travel to ANY country that the US has no diplomatic ties with or strained ties(like Russia or China). Some of these religious fanatics don't realize the harm they are causing especially when we are in the brink of war with that damn country.

I agree. What some religious fanatics (those determined to change ones way of living, unlike the avaerage Christian who would NEVER consider suicide and who doesn't push their beliefs upon you) don't get is that once they're in hostile territory, the other country could care less why they're there. He entered illegally, and unless he's had his head up his *** the last 50 or so years, he KNEW he was committing a serious crime. Stupid is as stupid does. He ain't our problem no more than the kid who begged Clinton to help him out of being flogged in Singapore back then. Idiots.

We should also create some sort of laws banning our citizens from entereing hostile countries like N. Korea and Iran. They are provoking an already hostile situation.

Has anyone heard any updates on this story or how this guy is doing?