Free Republic

Can you blame him? 13 hours on a plane with Joe Biden is not exactly a dream getaway. 85 year-old Merrill Newman, a war veteran, declined a ride home on Air Force Two with Joe Biden. Newman was deported after being detained over his role in special forces operations in the Korean War six decades ago. (Daily Mail) The Daily Mail reported: An 85-year-old U.S. tourist detained in North Korea for six weeks for alleged ‘war crimes’ has landed back in San Francisco after catching a flight from Beijing. North Korean state media said Saturday that Merrill Newman, a war...

An 85-year-old U.S. tourist detained in North Korea for more than a month for alleged hostile acts is on his way home after being "deported" to China. North Korean state media said Saturday that Merrill Newman, a war veteran, was released because he had apologized for his alleged crimes during the Korean War and because of his age and medical condition. "I'm very glad to be on my way home," Newman told Japanese media at Beijing airport. "I feel good, I feel good. I want to go home to see my wife." Newman was met by U.S. embassy staff in...

North Korea has deported a US veteran of the Korean War who had been detained in the country since October, the state-run KCNA news agency reports. It says Merrill Newman was expelled on "humanitarian grounds" after he confessed to his "crimes" against the state during the 1950-53 war and "apologised". Mr Newman, 85, had been held on charges of "hostile acts" against the North. He had been visiting the country as a tourist.

Why did he go there? Why did Merrill Newman, a Veteran of the Korean War, decide to go to North Korea? I thought we were legally restricted from traveling there, as with Cuba. I guess I was incorrect. Did Mr. Newman really think all would go well there? Does he know that Kim Jong Un had his ex-girlfriend killed by firing squad a few weeks ago? What about passports, is it likely Mr. Newman would have had to explain what his travel plans were, or not really? This was unwise on so many levels. The elderly gentleman has walked right...

South Korea (AP) -- North Korea state media claimed Saturday that an elderly U.S. tourist detained for more than a month has apologized for alleged crimes during the Korean War and for "hostile acts" against the state during a recent trip. North Korean authorities released video showing 85-year-old Merrill Newman, wearing glasses, a blue button-down shirt and tan trousers, reading his alleged apology, which was dated Nov. 9 and couldn't be independently confirmed. Pyongyang has been accused of previously coercing statements from detainees. There was no way to reach Newman and determine the circumstances of the alleged confession. "I have...

A video has been released by the North Korean government showing detained American veteran Merrill Newman, 85, admitting to being 'guilty' of crimes including killing innocent civilians when he was a soldier in the Korean War. Newman, who has not been heard from since he was detained on October 26, is seen reading a four-page hand-scribbled letter on camera in an undisclosed location in the video released on Saturday. The veteran from California looks uneasy in the video, and with shaking hands apologizes for what he supposedly did 60 years ago. ‘I realize that I cannot be forgiven for my...