LOS ANGELES, Dec 9 (Reuters) - An elderly U.S. veteran released from detention in North Korea said on Monday that his videotaped "confession" was given under duress, adding that he believed he may have been held in a misunderstanding over his interest in the Korean War.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I could not have done the things they had me 'confess' to," Merrill Newman, 85, said in a written statement released to the media.
The Korean War veteran added that during the tourist trip that led to his detention, he had expressed interest in visiting some of those "who fought in the war" in the Mount Kuwol area. were. "The North Koreans seem to have misinterpreted my curiosity as something more sinister," he said. (Reporting by Dana Feldman, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)
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