A YOUNG American detained in North Korea for three months as a spy flew to freedom yesterday after paying a hotel bill of about $5,000 (£3,125).
Mr Carl Hunziker (26), looking weary, raised his arms in a victory salute when he stepped from a US air force plane that flew him from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to the Yokota US air base on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Congressman Bill Richardson, a close confidant of President Clinton, said his trip not only freed Mr Hunziker but gave him renewed hope that Pyongyang was ready again to work at decreasing tension on the Korean peninsula.
Mr Richardson, who negotiated the release, said Mr Hunziker was not penalised other than by the hotel bill.
Mr Hunziker said he was treated in a humanitarian fashion by the North Koreans, Mr Richardson told reporters. The congressman said it appeared the North Korean military was against releasing Mr Hunziker, but in the end they went along with freeing him.
After undergoing medical tests Mr Hunziker, who did not speak to the press, was scheduled to fly to the United States later in the day to be home in time for Thanksgiving Day today.
Mr Richardson, who in 1994 negotiated the release of a US air force helicopter pilot shot down when he strayed into North Korean air space near the border with South Korea, said the United States gave nothing in return for Mr Hunziker's release.
Mr Hunziker, described by his family as a missionary, was detained by North Korea near the border with China on August 24th; when he crossed the Yalu River separating the two countries. He was held on charges of espionage and illegal entry.
The United States, South Korea and Mr Hunziker's family, from Parkland, Washington state, have all denied he is a spy and say he accidentally strayed into North Korea while on a visit to China. "He made a mistake. . . He's not a spy," Mr Richardson said. "He's a very religious young man and he was emotional about returning home."