North Korea says an elderly American man, detained while on a tour of the country last month, has admitted killing civilians when he was a soldier in the Korean War.
State media says Merrill Newman, 85, has confessed to committing "indelible" crimes against the state.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Mr Newman had ordered the deaths of North Korean soldiers and civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War.
It published what it described as a "statement of apology" by Mr Newman.
Mr Newman, now 85, did serve during the Korean War but his family say he is the victim of mistaken identity.
Pyongyang's state media has routinely publicised alleged apologies from previous American detainees, which cannot be independently verified, the BBC reports.
