North Korea says it has arrested a US citizen
for “hostile acts” against the state.
It accuses Merrill Newman of being “a criminal” who was involved in the killing of civilians during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
A video released by Pyongyang shows the 85-year-old reading out an apparent handwritten apology. Authorities have, in the past, been accused of obtaining such confessions by coercion.
Arrested over a month ago, Merrill Newman was visiting North Korea as a tourist.
His family believe he may have been the victim of mistaken identity. While he did serve in the Korean war, there is another highly decorated US veteran with almost the same name.
