SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Saturday it has deported an elderly U.S. tourist and war veteran detained for more than a month for alleged hostile acts against the country.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said it made the decision because 85-year-old Merrill Newman had apologized for his alleged crimes during the Korean War and on a recent trip to the country and because of his age and medical condition.
It was unclear Saturday where Newman had been deported to. It wasn’t clear whether his alleged confession shown on state TV last month was coerced.
He was taken off a plane Oct. 26 by North Korean authorities while preparing to leave the country after a 10-day tour.
Newman’s detention came as tension remains on the Korean Peninsula, though Pyongyang’s rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea has toned down in recent weeks.
