North Korea to release an elderly American and veteran of the Korean War who has been held in North Korean custody since late October.A White House statement Saturday urged Pyongyang to allow 85-year-old Merrill Newman, who suffers from a heart condition, to "return home and reunite with his family."
Newman, a Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, native, was visiting North Korea with a valid visa when he was removed from an airplane October 26 as he prepared to depart the country.
Earlier Saturday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency confirmed it had tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
Newman. The report said he had apologized for "crimes" during the Korean war, and for "hostile acts" against the state during his October visit.