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Son of American held in North Korea says family has had no communication Family of American held in North Korea pleads for his return
(about 13 hours later)
The son of a California retiree and Korean War veteran who was detained by North Korean authorities last month, during a trip to the reclusive Asian nation, said on Friday he has had no communication with his father since then. Jeff Newman also told Reuters that his family remain concerned about the health of Merrill Newman, 85, and do not know whether heart medication sent to North Korea on his behalf has reached him.  The California family of a Korean War veteran held in North Korean custody since last month has appealed to the Pyongyang government for his safe return, calling his detention during a sightseeing trip a "dreadful misunderstanding".
Jeff Newman, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, told CNN on Wednesday his father had been on a plane on the last day of his trip, waiting to take off, when North Korean authorities boarded the aircraft and took him away. The father's detention came a day after he and his tour guide had been interviewed by North Korean authorities at a meeting in which Merrill Newman's military service during the Korean War was discussed, Jeff Newman said.  Echoing comments from their son earlier in the day, Alicia Newman said relatives of her 85-year-old husband, Merrill Newman, have had no word on the state of his health, whether medications sent to him were received or why he was detained.
An infantry officer during the Korean War, the elder Newman lives in the upscale northern California community of Palo Alto. He went to North Korea on a tourist visa. Jeff Newman has said his account of his father's disappearance was based on details relayed to him through another American resident at his father's retirement home, who was traveling with him at the time. That man, Bob Hamrdla, is now back in California.  She said her husband was seated on a flight on the last day of his 10-day trip, 26 October, waiting to take off, when North Korean authorities boarded and took him away.
"The family feels there has been some dreadful misunderstanding leading to his detention and asks that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) work to settle this issue quickly and to return this 85-year-old grandfather to his anxious, concerned family," said Alicia Newman, who goes by the first name Lee.
The statement was issued through the retirement home where the Newmans live in the northern California town of Palo Alto.
The Newmans' son Jeff told CNN on Wednesday his father had been detained a day after he and his tour guide had been interviewed by North Korean authorities at a meeting in which Merrill Newman's military service during the Korean War was discussed.
A State Department official in Washington told reporters that North Korea had confirmed through diplomatic channels its detention of a US citizen, but the official did not identify the person.
The elder Newman was an infantry officer during the Korean War. He went to North Korea on a tourist visa. Jeff Newman has said his account of his father's disappearance was based on details relayed to him through another American resident at his father's retirement home, who was travelling with him at the time. That man, Bob Hamrdla, is now back in California. 
Asked on Friday in a telephone interview whether he had received any word from his father since he was detained, Jeff Newman told Reuters: "There has been no communication." Asked on Friday in a telephone interview whether he had received any word from his father since he was detained, Jeff Newman told Reuters: "There has been no communication." 
"We remain concerned about his condition. We're worried about his health, and we're anxious for him to come home," he said. "We remain concerned about his condition. We're worried about his health, and we're anxious for him to come home," he said. 
The younger Newman said he has been in contact with the State Department regarding his father's predicament, which has drawn the involvement of the former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was US ambassador to the United Nations in the 1990s and is a periodic troubleshooter on North Korean issues. Richardson has reached out to his North Korea contacts, a spokeswoman for his office said on Thursday. The younger Newman said he has been in contact with the State Department regarding his father's predicament, which has drawn the involvement of the former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was US ambassador to the United Nations in the 1990s and is a periodic troubleshooter on North Korean issues. Richardson has reached out to his North Korea contacts, a spokeswoman for his office said on Thursday. 
The US government has not directly confirmed the detention of Merrill Newman, citing privacy laws. But officials have publicly urged North Korea to release any American citizens who are being held in that country. A Korean-American Christian missionary, Kenneth Bae, has been detained by the Pyongyang government since November 2012.The US government has not directly confirmed the detention of Merrill Newman, citing privacy laws. But officials have publicly urged North Korea to release any American citizens who are being held in that country. A Korean-American Christian missionary, Kenneth Bae, has been detained by the Pyongyang government since November 2012.
Daniel Sneider, an expert on the foreign policy of Korea and Japan at Stanford University, said he had never heard of North Korean authorities detaining a vacationing American.
"We don't know why they did this or what provoked them to do it. All we know is that it's unusual, even by North Korean standards," Sneider said.
Sneider said tourist trips to North Korea were "very tightly controlled" affairs typically consisting of visits "to a certain set of monuments and museums and statues".
Sneider said that even if Newman had spoken about serving in the Korean War, that would not necessarily explain why he was detained, given North Korea's generally indifferent attitude toward American Korean War veterans.
"It's not unprecedented for people who have served in the Korean War to have gone to North Korea" as tourists, Sneider said.
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