SEOUL—North Korea said Monday it will charge two Americans in its custody with unspecified crimes, a move that may signal the start of a process to extract coerced confessions from the men and eventually release them.

A four-sentence statement from North Korea's state media said U.S. tourists Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle had been investigated for "perpetrating hostile acts" after entering the country. It said North Korea had evidence and testimony from both men about their alleged actions.

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