In this file photo taken on March 09, 2018, the North Korean flag flies above the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China. Pyongyang said Friday that it had expelled a US citizen who had entered its territory illegally, an unusually swift resolution of a case that could have further complicated reconciliation moves between the two countries. The man, identified as Lawrence Bruce Byron, had been in custody after crossing into North Korea from China, Oct. 16, the official Korean Central News Agency said. AFP-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed appreciation Friday for North Korea's release of an American citizen held there for alleged illegal entry.

Pompeo said in a statement that the United States "appreciates the cooperation" of North Korea and the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which facilitated the release.

Pyongyang said earlier that it was deporting an American citizen, identified as Bruce Byron Lowrance, after detaining him for illegally crossing its border with China last month.

He confessed to have entered the North under the direction of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

"The United States is grateful for the sustained support of Sweden, our protecting power in North Korea, for its advocacy on behalf of American citizens," Pompeo said. "The safety and well-being of Americans remains one of the highest priorities of the Trump administration."

North Korea has previously been accused of using American citizens it has detained as bargaining chips in talks with the U.S.

In May, the North released three Korean-American detainees ahead of the high-stakes June summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The latest move comes as U.S.-North Korea negotiations over the regime's nuclear weapons program have stalled.

Pyongyang has demanded sanctions relief and a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in return for disarmament steps, while Washington has refused to offer major concessions before it sees the full and verified denuclearization of the North.

Trump has said he still expects to have a second meeting with Kim early next year.

Their first summit in Singapore yielded a commitment by Kim to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the U.S. (Yonhap)