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 Saturday evening to the United States 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.