Plane carrying US missionary who was detained in North Korea arrives at Los Angeles airport

Missionary who was held in N. Korea arrives in US

LOS ANGELES — An American missionary who strode illegally into North Korea on Christmas Day and was detained by the communist regime for 43 days was welcomed back to the United States Saturday evening in an emotional reunion with family members at Los Angeles International Airport.

Robert Park was greeted by his parents and brother in a private location at the airport after arriving on a commercial flight from Beijing. Earlier Saturday, the 28-year-old Korean-American from Tucson, Ariz., flew to the Chinese capital from Pyongyang.

The family stopped briefly for reporters as they left the airport in their car. A thin and pale Park said nothing and kept his eyes downcast while his brother, Paul Park, told reporters that he’s in good condition.

“Hugging him, there didn’t seem to be anything broken,” he said.

Robert Park crossed the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea on Dec. 25, carrying letters calling on leader Kim Jong Il to close the country’s notoriously brutal prison camps and step down from power — acts that could have risked execution in the hard-line communist country.

North Korea announced Friday that Park would be freed.

The family planned to feed Robert Park spaghetti for dinner — his favorite meal growing up. Paul Park added that his brother seemed to be in good health, although he appeared to have lost a little weight.

The family didn’t have time during their brief airport reunion to ask Robert Park whether he had been mistreated by North Korean officials, Paul Park said.