American citizen Merrill Newman deported from North Korea lands in San Francisco An 85-year-old U.S. tourist detained in North Korea for more than a month for alleged hostile acts has landed in San Francisco after catching a flight from Beijing. North Korean state media said Saturday that Merrill Newman, a war veteran, was released because he had apologized for his alleged crimes during the Korean War and because of his age and medical condition. "I'm very glad to be on my way home," Newman told Japanese media at Beijing airport. He is currently on a United Airlines flight flying over the Pacific and is expected to land in San Francisco at 11:59 a.m. ET, KTVU.com reported. As he pointed out, there's a direct flight to San Francisco, so I don't blame him, I'd be on that flight too Vice President Joe Biden, on Newman's decision to pass up an offer to fly home on Air Force Two His detention only increased diplomatic tensions and was culminated when North Korea released a video of him reading a confession to war crimes. Biden said he talked by phone with Merrill and offered him a ride home on Air Force Two, but said the Palo Alto, Calif. resident decided to take a direct flight to San Francisco, so he could return home more quickly. "As he pointed out, there's a direct flight to San Francisco, so I don't blame him, I'd be on that flight too," Mr. Biden said. Newman's son, Jeffrey, said he spoke briefly with his father from Beijing and that he was "in excellent spirits and eager to be reunited with his family." "As you can imagine this has been a very difficult ordeal for us as a family, and particularly for him," he said in a statement read outside his home in Pasadena, adding that they will say more about this unusual journey after Newman has rested. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf urged Pyongyang to pardon "as a humanitarian gesture" another American, Kenneth Bae, who has been held in the North for more than a year. "We are pleased that Mr. Merrill Newman has been allowed to depart the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and re-join his family," Harf said in a statement after Newman's release. Bae's family, who live in the Seattle area, said Friday that they welcome Newman's release. "We have been praying for him and are very happy that his family will have him at the head of their table for the holidays," family said in a statement, according to Reuters. We believe that our Kenneth should also come home soon.