Detainee stuck in North Korea pleads for help

American missionary Kenneth Bae arrives to speak to reporters at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital in Pyongyang Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. Bae, 45, who has been jailed in North Korea for more than a year, appealed for the U.S. to do its best to secure his release. Source: AP

AN AMERICAN missionary who has been jailed in North Korea for more than a year appeared before reporters and appealed to the US government to do its best to secure his release.

The missionary, Kenneth Bae, made the comments at what he called a press conference held at his own request. He was under guard during the appearance. It is not unusual for prisoners in North Korea to say after their release that they spoke in similar situations under duress.

Wearing a grey cap and inmate's uniform with the number 103 on his chest, Bae spoke in Korean during the brief appearance, which was attended by The Associated Press and a few other foreign media in Pyongyang.

In response, the United States is reportedly considering sending an envoy to the communist country to secure Bae's release.

An anonymous US official told Reuters: "We hope this decision by DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) authorities to allow Kenneth Bae to meet with reporters signals their willingness to release him.

"We have offered to send Ambassador King to Pyongyang to secure Mr. Bae's release. We have asked the North Koreans this, and await their early response."

Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary who has been detained in North Korea for more than a year, appears before a limited number of media outlets in Pyongyang on Jan. 20, 2014. Source: AP

Bae, the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea in recent years, expressed hope that the U.S. government will do its best to win his release. He said he had not been treated badly in confinement.

"I believe that my problem can be solved by close cooperation and agreement between the American government and the government of this country," he said.

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Bae said he wants to be freed and to return to his family as soon as possible. Source: AP

Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group and accused of crimes against the state before being sentenced to 15 years of hard labour. He was moved to a hospital last summer in poor health.

He made an apology Monday and said he had committed anti-government acts.

Bae said a comment last month by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden had made his situation more difficult.

"The vice president of United States said that I was detained here without any reason," Bae said. "And even my younger sister recently told the press that I had not committed any crime and I know that the media reported it.

"I think these comments infuriated the people here enormously. And for this reason, I am in a difficult situation now. As a result, although I was in medical treatment in the hospital for five months until now, it seems I should return to prison. And moreover there is greater difficulty in discussions about my amnesty."

Bae's appearance came weeks after North Korea freed an elderly American veteran of the Korean War who had been held for weeks for alleged crimes during the 1950-53 conflict.

American Kenneth Bae speaks to media in Pyongyang on Jan. 20, 2014. Source: AP

State media said 85-year-old Merrill Newman was released because he apologised for his wrongdoing and that authorities also considered his age and medical condition. Newman said after his release that a videotaped confession was made under duress, although he was generally treated well.

North Korea has detained at least seven Americans since 2009. They were eventually deported or released without serving out their terms, some after prominent Americans such as former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter travelled to Pyongyang.

A senior U.S. envoy had planned to visit North Korea in late August to discuss Bae's release, but Pyongyang withdrew its invitation at the last minute, accusing the United States of hostility. Analysts said North Korea was apparently trying to gain leverage in a long-running international standoff over its nuclear weapons program.

Dressed in a blue prison suit, with the number 103 on his chest, Kenneth Bae apologised. Source: AP

"We shouldn't take Kenneth Bae's comments merely as his own," said Kim Jin Moo, a North Korea expert at the South Korean state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul. "The reason why North Korea had Kenneth Bae make this statement … is that they want Washington to reach out to them."

"Bae's comments are an appeal to Washington to actively persuade Pyongyang to release him," Kim said.

This 1988 file photo shows Kenneth Bae, right, and friend Bobby Lee together when they were freshmen students at the University of Oregon. Source: AP

Other foreign analysts say North Korea wants better ties with Seoul and Washington as a way to win foreign aid and investment to boost its struggling economy.

Bae's detention was in the news earlier this month after former basketball star Dennis Rodman travelled to Pyongyang with other retired NBA players for an exhibition game marking the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In an interview with CNN while in Pyongyang, Rodman made comments implying Bae was at fault.

Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for "hostile acts" against the state. Source: AP

Rodman, who has been criticised for not using his ties with Kim to help secure Bae's freedom, later apologised.

Bae was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in 1985 with his parents and sister. He was allowed to call home on Dec. 29 because of the holidays, according to his sister, Terri Chung. That was the first time his three children from an earlier marriage had spoken to him, she said. He has two children in Arizona and another in Hawaii, ages 17, 22 and 23, Chung said.

Before his arrest, Bae lived in China for seven years with his wife and stepdaughter. He ran a tour business and led 18 trips to North Korea, Chung said.

This 2011 family photo shows Kenneth Bae in happier times. Source: AP

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