hankyoreh

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

North Korean authorities are holding an American Korean War veteran who visited the country last month, US news outlets reported.

Merrill Newman, 85, has reportedly been under detention for more than three weeks since being escorted off an airplane by North Korean authorities after taking a tour of the country last month.

Newman’s son Jeffrey was quoted as saying his father had boarded the plane on Oct. 26 to leave North Korea after a nine-day trip with a friend and two guides, but disembarked five minutes before department at the request of local authorities.

No information was available about why only Newman was prevented from leaving.

Jeffrey Newman said his father had met with North Korean officials and talked about records of his service in the war the day before he was scheduled to leave Pyongyang.

The son went on to say his father did not think the discussion would be an issue.

“He’s always wanted to go to North Korea, like the guys who go back to Normandy, the World War II veterans,” he added.

Bob Hamrdla, who traveled with Merrill Newman, made a statement on Nov. 20 calling the situation “a terrible misunderstanding.”

“I hope that the North Koreans see this as a humanitarian matter and allow him to return to his family as soon as possible,” Hamrdla added.

Newman fought in the Korean War in 1950 as an infantry officer. After returning home, he worked as a schoolteacher, then a financial executive at an IT company, before retiring in 1984. Since retiring, he visited a number of countries, including South Korea, Cuba, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and Guatemala.

The US State Department confirmed having seen the reports, but added that personal information protection laws prevented them from giving any specifics.

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