North Korea will release a South Korean college student who holds a U.S. green card to the South, an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said. The official had no further detail.

Joo Won-moon, who had been a student at New York University, was caught in April crossing from the Chinese side of the Yalu River, North Korea's official KCNA news agency has said. Joo had admitted violating North Korean law but said he had been treated well by the North, KCNA said recently.