North Korea has freed an Australian Christian missionary who was detained after leaving “Bible tracts" in a Buddhist temple in Pyongyang last month.
According to Reuters, John Short was freed on Monday and picked up at the Beijing airport by an Australian embassy vehicle.
The Australian reported that the 75-year-old was released after confessing and apologizing for his actions.
"I deeply apologize for what I have done by spreading my Bible tracts on February 16th the birthday of his Excellency Kim Jong Il,” he said in a statement dated March 1.
North Korea said that Short committed a criminal act after entering the country as a tourist and “secretly spreading his Bible tracts around a Buddhist temple.”
Short’s release has raised questions about the release of Korean-American Kenneth Bae, who was arrested while guiding a tour along North Korea’s coast. He was convicted of “hostile acts” against the state and sentenced to 15 years hard labor.
Bae’s family has been lobbying for his release ever since he was detained in November of 2012.