LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 — A U.S. missionary released by North Korea after 43 days in detention arrived in the United States on Saturday, airport officials said.
Robert Park arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a commercial flight from Beijing on Saturday evening, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.
Earlier in the day, he flew to the Chinese capital from Pyongyang.
The 28-year-old Korean-American entered the North from China on Christmas Day carrying a letter calling on leader Kim Jong-il to close the country's notoriously brutal prison camps and step down from power for human rights abuses.
On Friday, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said the North would release Park, citing his "sincere repentance of his wrongdoings."
Born in L.A., Park spent most of his childhood in Tuscon, Arizona. His parents moved to Encinitas, a city north of San Diego, four years ago.
Park is expected to travel to Tuscon after meeting his family and taking some rest. (PNA/Yonhap)
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