Doug Stanglin

USA TODAY

North Korea said Friday it arrested an American student from the University of Virginia for allegedly "perpetrating a hostile act" against the regime.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, in a one-sentence dispatch, said only that the 21-year-old student, identified as Otto Frederick Warmbier, traveled to the country as a tourist but with the real aim of destroying the unity of North Korea with "the tacit connivance of the U.S. government."

North Korea said Warmbier was acting under "the U.S. government's acquiescence and control," South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The State Department said it was aware of the reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea.

"The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department’s highest priorities," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement. "We have no further information to share due to privacy considerations."

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul also said it was aware of reports of the student's arrest, CNN reported. The U.S. has no diplomatic relations with North Korea and its interests are handled by the Swedish Embassy, which acts as the protecting interest for U.S citizens.

The Young Pioneer Tour group, a China-based company that arranges travel to North Korea, confirmed Warmbier's detention and said it was trying to address the situation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We can confirm that the reports that one of our clients is being detained in Pyongyang are true," the tour group said on its website. "Their family have been informed and we are in contact with the Swedish Embassy, who are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the case."

The tour group, which referred to the student only as "Otto," said it was "also assisting the U.S Department of State closely with regards to the situation" and asked that the privacy of the student and his family be respected.

"We hope his release can be secured as soon as possible," the group added.

Warmbier is a third-year Commerce student at the University of Virginia, according to The Cavalier Daily, the school newspaper. On his purported Facebook page, Warmbier notes his passion for "worldly travels" and says he visited Cuba in May.

Warmbier graduated from Wyoming High School, in suburban Cincinnati, as salutatorian in 2013, said Susanna Max, spokesperson for Wyoming City Schools, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The school is meeting with the Warmbier family this morning to form an "action plan" and will release a statement later Friday, she said.

Warmbier was a gifted soccer player at the high school, said Wyoming head coach Steve Thomas. "He's a great kid, really smart," Thomas said. "He was an outstanding player and student and a good leader on and off the field."

Thomas was surprised to hear the news of Warmbier's arrest. The coach hasn't seen Warmbier in the last year or two, but after graduation, he did return to his alma mater to play alumni soccer games.

"This is really shocking news," Thomas said. "I have no idea why he would be over there. I certainly hope he is alright."

Warmbier's detention comes as the the U.N. Security Council is working on a tough sanctions resolution against North Korea in response to Pyongyang's nuclear test earlier this month.

Earlier this month, CNN reported North Korea had detained another U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying. It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the Pyongyang government and said authorities accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets.

The United States and North Korea are in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.

Contributing: The Cincinnati Enquirer