KCNA released a statement it claimed was from Merrill Newman — a Palo Alto, California man who, his family says, has been held in North Korea for more than 30 days.

“After I killed so many civilians and (North Korean) soldiers and destroyed strategic objects in the DPRK during the Korean War, I committed indelible offensive acts against the DPRK government and Korean people,” Newman said, according to the “apology” reported by KCNA.

His statement ends: “If I go back to (the) USA, I will tell the true features of the DPRK and the life the Korean people are leading.”