The United States has welcomed North Korea's release of a Korean-American missionary it's been detaining since last November.

State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing Friday that the U.S. welcomes North Korea’s decision to free U.S. citizen Eddie Jun or Jun Young-su.

He said the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang confirmed to the U.S. Friday that North Korea was going to release Jun.

Toner said that U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Robert King, who was visiting the North, raised the issue of releasing Jun. King was in the North to inspect the food situation there and discuss food aid monitoring.

The detainee is believed to have left North Korea Saturday with the envoy and is to return to the U.S. via Beijing.

Jun served as a missionary in the North Korea-China border region when he was arrested and detained by North Korean authorities in November.

The North announced Friday that it will release the Korean-American on humanitarian grounds.