Saturday, November 30, 2013

North Korea Says Merrill Newman, Detained U.S. Tourist, Apologizes




North Korea has released a video of Merrill Newman reading a letter of apology for his actions during the Korean War. Here's a question what does North Korea really want. Are they seeking concessions for its restarted nuclear program, humanitarian aid for its population or some other unknown reason that they believe will benefit the regime of Kim-Jong un. In the past these types of tactics have worked for North Korea. They would agree to something recieve whatever aid they sought and proceed to violate the terms of the agreement.

North Korean authorities released video showing 85-year-old Merrill Newman, wearing glasses, a blue button-down shirt and tan trousers, reading his alleged apology, which was dated Nov. 9 and couldn't be independently confirmed.

Pyongyang has been accused of previously coercing statements from detainees. There was no way to reach Newman and determine the circumstances of the alleged confession. But it was riddled with stilted English and grammatical errors, such as "I want not punish me."

"I have been guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people," Newman purportedly wrote in a four-page statement, adding: "Please forgive me."

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