US Vice-President Joe Biden welcomes release of Merrill Newman by North Korea

US Vice-President Joe Biden has welcomed the "good news" of the release of a US citizen, who had been held by North Korea since October.

Merrill Newman, 85, had been held on charges of "hostile acts" against the North, while visiting as a tourist.

Speaking from Seoul, the latest stop on his Asia trip, Mr Biden also called on the North Korean government to release another US citizen, Kenneth Bae, who has been held since November 2012 and who was sentenced in May to 15 years' hard labour.