Biden praises North Korea’s release of tourist
SEOUL, South Korea – Vice President Joe Biden says North Korea’s release of an elderly U.S. tourist detained for more than a month is positive news.
Biden’s office says Merrill Newman is now in China en route to the United States.
Biden says the North has released someone it never should have held in the first place. He says he played no direct role in Newman’s release. The Korean War veteran plans to take a flight from Beijing to San Francisco.
Biden called on Pyongyang to release Kenneth Bae, another U.S. citizen in the North’s custody.
Biden spoke while visiting a Korean War Memorial in Seoul on a trip to South Korea.