During his arrest, the 85 - year-old veteran of the Korean War had no access to the news. He has seen since the flood .
" As for the television reports and newspapers , I've seen a lot of speculation about why I stopped. I've given considerable attention to this attention and I have come to the conclusion that I did not understand that , for the North Korean regime , the Korean War is not over and that even innocent comments about war can cause big problems if you are a foreigner , "he said in a statement Monday .
Newman traveled in October as a tourist to North Korea on a package tour 10 days. The authorities caught him just minutes before his flight to Beijing was set from Pyongyang.
In his statement, Newman describes what he thinks might be activate .
" I innocently asked my North Korean guides if some of those who fought in the war in the area of Mount Kuwol could stay alive , and expressed interest in meeting them possibly if I were . The North Koreans seem to have misunderstood my curiosity as something more sinister , "he wrote .
" It is now clear to me that the North Koreans still feel much anger about the war than I thought . With the benefit of hindsight, should have been more sensitive to that . "
For weeks , the North Korean government gave no explanation of why they were holding Newman.
An explanation finally came last month when state media published and broadcast what they described as Veteran Korean War " apology." The word was written on the first of four handwritten pages detailing his alleged indiscretions.
In the note dated November 9, Newman spoke of his having advised the Kuwol unit , part of the " intelligence office " fighting Pyongyang during the Korean War . He explained how he sent troops to collect "information" and wage deadly attacks .
"After I killed many civilians and (North Korea ) soldiers and destroyed strategic objects in the DPRK during the Korean War , I made indelible offensive acts against the government of the DPRK and the Korean people ," Newman said , according to that report.
In his statement, Newman distanced himself from the comments.
" Anyone who has read the text of it or saw the video of my reader knows that the words were not mine and not surrendered voluntarily . Anyone who knows me knows that I could not have done the things that had me " confess "to " he wrote.
Newman said he was treated well while in custody.
Its release coincided with a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to South Korea , where he laid a wreath in honor of those who died in the war that pitted North against South .
A senior administration official said that the release of Newman was the result of direct contact between Washington and Pyongyang. The official said the North Koreans had told the Obama administration in a phone call that they were throwing Newman , no explanation was offered .
Newman thanked Biden, the U.S. State Department The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang and friends and family in his statement.
He also asked that people forget to Kenneth Bae , another American to be in North Korea . Bae was arrested in 2012 and sentenced in May to 15 years for so-called acts of hostility and attempts to overthrow the government.
"I know there is much interest in this, and I will do my best to answer as many questions as possible," Newman wrote .
"For now , let me close by saying again how good it is to be back home , safe and with my loved ones . "
