Seoul - North Korea has arrested a South Korean citizen for allegedly criticizing the communist country's political system and trying to incite a North Korean woman to defect, Seoul said Monday.

According to the Yonhap agency, citing the South Korean Unification Ministry, the arrested man is an employee of the Hyndai Asan company which is involved in a joint industrial park project at the border city of Kaesong.

In a telefax message, the North Korean authorities charged that the man had "defamed our system." They said the safety of the arrested man would would be guaranteed during upcoming investigations.

For its aprt, South Korea has asked the north to provide further details in the case.

The case is not the first time that a South Korean employee at the industrial park had been taken into custody.

At the industrial park, more than 35,000 low-wage North Korean workers are engaged by some 100 South Korean companies which manufacture, among other items, shoes cloing, watches and kitchen appliances.

The latest arrest comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, with the north accusing the conservative government in Seoul of pursuing a "policy of confrontation." For its part, South Korea has joined a number of neighbouring countries in urging the north to refrain from its planned rocket launch in early April. (dpa)