An American veteran of the Korean War who was detained for "hostile acts" against the communist North has released an apology supposedly confessing to his alleged crimes.
Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old from California, was held in October after entering North Korea "under the guise of a tourist", the country's official KCNA news agency said.
The alleged four-page confession with thumb prints It is the first time the reclusive state has officially admitted holding Mr Newman, whose family said he was detained on October 26 shortly before take-off from Pyongyang following a 10-day tour.
KCNA said Mr Newman had committed crimes both as a tourist and during his participation in the Korean War six decades ago, and published an apology running to nearly 600 words in which the American allegedly confessed to his crimes.
Mr Newman reading the alleged apology Pyongyang has been accused of previously coercing statements from detainees, but it was riddled with stilted English and grammatical errors, such as "I want not punish me".
Mr Newman, a retired financial executive who served three years during the war, has been accused of infringing upon the "dignity and sovereignty" of the secretive state and "slandering its socialist system, quite contrary to the purpose of the tour", the report said.
The American had also masterminded espionage and subversive activities during the 1950-53 Korean War and was involved in the killing of North Korean soldiers and innocent civilians, it said.
"I realise that I cannot be forgiven for my offensives but I beg for pardon on my knees by apologising for my offensives sincerely toward the (North Korean) government and the Korean people and I want not punish me," Mr Newman was quoted as saying by KCNA.
The Korean War veteran had intended to meet surviving soldiers and pray for the souls of the dead, KCNA said, adding he had asked his guide for help.
He had also criticised North Korea during his trip, it said.
North Korean released an undated photo of lleader Kim Jong Un on Saturday "I will never commit the offensive act against the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) government and the Korean people again," Mr Newman said in his apology.
North Korea released video showing Mr Newman reading his apology, which was dated November 9.
Officials also showed an email printout dated April 19 which allegedly showed Mr Newman was formerly a military adviser to a special forces unit known as Donkey 6 who tried to meet survivors of the guerrilla United Nations Partisan Forces-Korea (UNPFK).
According to the US Special Operations Forces Handbook, the so-called Donkeys - nicknamed after the Korean word for liberty - operated behind enemy lines on missions that remained classified for 30 years.
North Korea issued an alleged email from Mr Newman dated April It said: "From tiny islands off the Korean coast, the Donkeys conducted raids, rescued downed airmen and maintained electronic facilities.
"Under the guidance of the special forces and other US cadre, (UNPFK) eventually numbered 22,000 and claimed 69,000 enemy casualties."
According to Mr Newman's son Jeff, his father had been on an organised tour and was detained due to a "misunderstanding".
"My father is a veteran, and wanted to see the country and culture he has been interested in for years," he said.
North Korea is also holding US national Kenneth Bae, a 45-year-old tour operator arrested a year ago who was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour on charges of seeking to topple the government.
The State Department recently issued an updated travel advisory urging Americans to avoid North Korea, which was reportedly "arbitrarily detaining US citizens and not allowing them to depart the country".
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