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North Korea Releases NYU Student Months After Arrest

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A South Korean NYU student is free after being released from North Korea.

Won Moon Joo, 21, was arrested in April for entering North Korea illegally across the Chinese border while hiking during a semester off from NYU's Stern School of Business.

Joo admits violating North Korean law.

In May, he told reporters, "I thought that some great event could happen and hopefully that event could have a good effect in the relations between north and south--- I've been fed well, I've slept well, and I've been very healthy."

Joo was handed over Monday morning at a truce village along the militarized border with South Korea, CBS2 reported.

NYU issued a statement saying it's relieved to learn of Joo's release, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.

Joo is from South Korea, but is a legal resident of the U.S. and had been living in New Jersey while studying at NYU.

It's not clear when or if he plans to return to the U.S.

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