N. Korea to expel detained US citizen

Pyongyang : North Korea has said it will deport a US citizen who was detained in October after entering illegally from China, Pyongyang state media reported on Friday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the man, whom it named as Bruce Byron Lowrance, had told officials he was "under the command" of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the BBC reported.

There has been no official confirmation of the man's identity.

"While being questioned, he said he had illegally entered the country under the command of the US Central Intelligence Agency," KCNA said. "Relevant authorities have decided to expel him from the country."

Last year, the US media said the man expelled from South Korea - who has also been named as Lawrence Bruce Byron - had claimed he wanted to help resolve tensions between North Korea and the US.

He is originally from Michigan, the Los Angeles Times reported, and was arrested in a restricted area near the border with the North in Yeoncheon county, 64 km north of the capital Seoul.