North Korea Says No Talks on US Detainees

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea says that the issue of Americans detained in the country "is not an object to discuss" in view of current tensions with the United States.

A short dispatch from state news agency KCNA said Tuesday that a foreign ministry spokesman made the statement in response to foreign media reports that talks are ongoing. It did not identify which media.

The Associated Press reported last week that a U.S. envoy and his North Korean counterpart have discussed three other Americans being held in North Korea.

Another American, college student Otto Warmbier, was released in June in a coma and died shortly after his arrival in the United States.

A Canadian pastor who was imprisoned for more than two years was released last week.