North Korean soldiers.
Kim Jae-Hwan | AFP | Getty Images
North Korea said on Saturday it had arrested U.S. citizen Merrill E. Newman for "hostile acts" against the state and accused him of being "a criminal" who was involved in the killing of civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Newman "masterminded espionage and subversive activities against the DPRK and in this course he was involved in killings of service personnel of the Korean People's Army and innocent civilians," the North's official KCNA news agency said.
DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
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"He admitted all his crimes and made an apology for them," KCNA said.