State Dept: NKorea has confirmed it’ is holding an American citizen, identity not confirmed

WASHINGTON – State Department says North Korea acknowledges it is holding an American citizen but has not granted diplomats consular access so the person’s identity is not yet confirmed.

Expectation will be that it is Merrill Newman of California. The 85-year old Korean War veteran’s family says he was detained at the end of a tourist trip to North Korea last month.

Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday that Sweden has been informed by Pyongyang that it is detaining an American citizen. Because the U.S. has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, Sweden oversees consular issues for the United States there.

Psaki says the Swedish Embassy is daily requesting access to the American.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles