US man pulled off plane in North Korea, detained, son says

[jacko45k]

North Korea...hungry again?

Another damned crop failure.

Time to spin up the centrifuge!

[JeffreyWitty]

Strange.....must be more to the story.

Yeah, North Korea pulls this ALL THE TIME. Then they turn around and let him go when Carter or Clinton or Rodman come over there and offer them deals and gifts.

North Korea does this whenever they want something. The guy shouldn't have gone to NK. He should have known better if he was even slightly knowledgeable about the situation over here.

Nothing new to see here - move along.

[arunsakda]

I have a colleague who just has to travel "everywhere". Already did DPRK. This winter a ski holiday in Iran.

[folium]

I have a colleague who just has to travel "everywhere". Already did DPRK. This winter a ski holiday in Iran.

Skiing in Iran, old hat...try skiing down an active volcano in Kamchatka...!

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/feb/24/iran.skiing

[boomerangutang]

Was he carrying Bibles? N.Korea can only handle one Messiah at a time.

I agree with prior post, there must be more to this story.

It will be very interesting when the bubble bursts for the Kim hierarchy - particularly hearing what ordinary N.Koreans want to say - but haven't been able to for 50 years.

[Chicog]

Doubtful but if he was really interested in NK he could have visited South Korea and met some of the many North Korean escapees living there.

Stranger things have happened.

I once booked a flight to Havana, Cuba and ended up in West Bromwich.

I went for a drink in Kensington and woke up in Ostend with one shoe missing.

[NeverSure]

BBC is saying he has "confessed" to crimes and that sometimes that leads to release. LINK

[Jingthing]

They clearly intimidated this old man to get a forced confession. Will they let him go now? Maybe. But if they do, he'll go on t.v. to say why their goons REALLY did to him there. So I wouldn't consider this a done deal. He "confessed" to killing innocent civilians in the war. Seems very serious.

[marcusd]

 

Dennis Rodman will be along shortly . . . 

 

send a B-52 and teach that childish leader and his Generals a lesson they will NEVER forget !  

 

 

Yes a war between the US and China, just what's needed.

saves paying them back a few trillion I guess

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[marcusd]

I have a colleague who just has to travel "everywhere". Already did DPRK. This winter a ski holiday in Iran.

if he gets in trouble too bad. Tough!

Americans visiting NK is like a fox in a hen house. Can't they read or understand the news? If the old bastard was stupid let him now pay the price as can the other 4000westerners seeking thrills. The war is NOT over so we are entering a technical military conflict zone when we go there

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[F430murci]

Whacked out little people clearly compensating for a physical inadequacy. Treating this guy this way who was perhaps trying to make peace with his past before he dies. Disgusting little people.

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North Korea on Saturday released video showing detained U.S. citizen Merrill E. Newman reading an apology for "hostile acts" against the state a move that prompted new calls from the U.S. for his release.

A statement published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency said that during a recent visit to the country, the 85-year-old war veteran attempted to meet with any surviving soldiers he had trained during the Korean War to fight North Korea, admitted he was "a criminal" who was involved in the killing of civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War, and was carrying an e-book criticizing North Korea.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/30/21680934-american-held-by-n-korea-apologizes-for-hostile-acts-us-renews-calls-to-free-him?lite

[midas]

If he had just gone along and smiled and shown an interest in their country and kept his mouth shut about his opinions, I doubt very much whether he would be in this situation now just based on his actions during a previous era.

Otherwise, it's unlikely he would ever have got a visa in the first place because the application process is quite rigourous.