Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on North Korea to free imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. Kerry met with his family on Tuesday.
Bae was arrested while leading a tour in November 2012, charged with "anti-government" activity, and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
His health has deteriorated while in prison, according to his family and U.S. officials. He was hospitalized last summer.
"Kenneth has apologized publicly for his actions that led to his April 30, 2013 conviction. Mr. Bae's family has also apologized publicly on behalf of Kenneth Bae. We fully support the efforts of the Bae family to bring Kenneth Bae home," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Tuesday.
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davis told reporters in Beijing that Bae has been detained longer than any other American.
"North Korea, I think, has made its point about Kenneth Bae," Davis told reporters. "We are in frequent communication with the North Koreans to try to find a resolution to this issue. It is very, very important to us."
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.
Support CBN News