Updated – 08/30/13, 11:02 a.m. ET: North Korea has withdrawn its invitation to Amb. Robert King to travel to Pyongyang. King was scheduled to arrive in North Korea Friday to seek the release of American prisoner Kenneth Bae. In a statement to the AP, State Dept. spokesperson Marie Harf called the announcement surprising, and said the U.S. was “disappointed by North Korea’s decision.” It is unclear whether or not the trip will be rescheduled.
Original story – 08/29/13, 2:52 p.m. ET:
After nearly 10 months in a North Korean prison camp, Kenneth Bae could be set free. Bae, an American Christian missionary, was detained last November after officials accused him of “hostile acts” against North Korea, and for encouraging citizens to overthrow the government. He was sentenced in April to 15 years of hard labor.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Amb. Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, will fly to Pyongyang on Friday to make an appeal for Bae’s release. This is the first public trip to North Korea by a U.S. official in more than two years.
The State Department said Tuesday in a brief statement that it was “deeply concerned” about Bae, who suffers from diabetes and other health problems. Bae was taken to a hospital last month after he lost more than 50 pounds. “He’s considerably weaker,” Bae’s sister Terri Chung told NBC station King 5. “There’s more urgency than ever to bring him home.”
Echoing his family’s concerns, the White House released a statement Tuesday urging North Korea to release the 45-year-old Washington native. “We remain deeply concerned about the health and welfare of Kenneth Bae…We urge the government of North Korea to grant special clemency to Mr. Bae immediately and allow him to return home with Ambassador King.”









