State Department Warns Against Travel to North Korea After PA Man Detained

The 85-year-old Palo Alto man detained in North Korea for the past three weeks is a resident of Channing House, an upscale retirement community on Webster Street, according to news reports.

North Korean authorities removed Merrill Newman from his flight departing North Korea on Oct. 26, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Newman and his travelling companion, Bob Hamrdla, had used a Beijing-based tourism agency to visit North Korea.

Channing House’s November newsletter mentioned Newman’s and Hamrdla’s trip: “Bob Hamrdla no sooner returned from Berlin than he packed up to visit North Korea with Merrill Newman,Merrill took Korean-language lessons to prepare for their 10-day independent trip. They will be accompanied at all times by two Korean guides."

Newman is a veteran of the Korean War, according to the Merc. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning about North Korea: Travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea is not routine, and U.S. citizens crossing into North Korea, even accidentally, have been subject to arbitrary arrest and long-term detention. Since January 2009, four U.S. citizens have been arrested for entering North Korea illegally, and two U.S. citizens who entered on valid DPRK visas were arrested inside North Korea on other charges. The Department of State has also received reports of DPRK authorities arbitrarily detaining U.S. citizens and not allowing them to depart the country.