The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said on Friday that it had expelled a US citizen, just a month after he apparently entered the country illegally, an unusually quick move as relations between the two countries remain sensitive.
The man, identified as Lawrence Bruce Byron, had been in custody after crossing into the DPRK from China on October 16, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
"While being questioned, he said he had illegally entered the country under the command of the US Central Intelligence Agency," KCNA said. "Relevant authorities have decided to expel him from the country."
Byron, who is in his late 50s and from Louisiana, was deported back to the US.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has traveled four times this year to Pyongyang on his diplomatic drive, sounded relieved at the quick resolution of the case.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump greet three Americans released from the DPRK, Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim, upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
"The US appreciates the cooperation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the embassy of Sweden in facilitating the release of an American citizen," Pompeo said. Sweden represents US interests in the DPRK in the absence of diplomatic relations.
Media reports said that Byron had told officials from the Republic of Korea (ROK) that he sought to facilitate talks between the DPRK and the US, although he is a private citizen.
A man with the same name was arrested in the ROK while trying to sneak over the inter-Korean border in November last year.
It is rare for the DPRK to release an American detainee so swiftly.
Most Americans held by Pyongyang have been released only after high-profile interventions.
Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old US student, was jailed in the DPRK for 17 months before he was released in a comatose state in 2017. He died shortly after returning home.
In May, Pyongyang freed three US detainees in an apparent goodwill gesture before a summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.
Currently, there are no known US detainees still held by the DPRK.
Washington last year banned its citizens from traveling to the DPRK without special permission, the only country for which such a restriction exists.
(Top picture: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un reviews a military honor guard, Pyongyang, September 9, 2018. /VCG Photo)