Staff of a state owned travel company responsible for managing visits to North Korea did not know about the apprehension of a U.S. visitor until Wednesday, a western tour leader currently in Pyongyang has told NK News.

The Korea International Travel Company (KITC), the enterprise that manages the implementation of the majority of tours booked to North Korea by foreign agents, claimed not to know about the apprehension of Korean War veteran Merrill Newman until news of his case broke worldwide this week.