US urges N Korea to grant amnesty to Kenneth Bae

[alp227]

Source: BBC

The US has called on North Korea to release immediately an American citizen sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for alleged anti-government crimes.

Pae Jun-ho, known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was detained last year after entering North Korea as a tourist.

"We urge the DPRK (North Korea) to grant Mr Bae amnesty," a US State Department spokesman said.

Mr Pae's sentence came amid high tension between the US and North Korea, after Pyongyang's third nuclear test.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22385151

---

But when will we close Guantanamo?

[maxsolomon]

1. Sure thing. That'll be 100 million and grain to feed our population for a year.

Once that runs out, we'll just grab another missionary idiot. Rinse & repeat.

[rug]

2. He ran tours to North Korea?

Mr Pae, believed to be a tour operator of Korean descent, was tried on 30 April.

I bet business was slow.

[Posteritatis]

4. There's a small but quite consistent North Korean tourism industry. (nt)

[Purveyor]

3. Frm. Pres. Carter To Korea? " SK, U.S. gov apparently take a dim view of Carter's possible trip...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022786568

[marshall]

5. Who is this collective "US" that this unnamed spokesman is speaking for?

Nobody is taking any responsiblity here. Somebody high up with a name and a face needs to step up and ask for or demand this.

[Marrah_G]

6. Looks like the US State Dept

I am sure the higher ups are working on it. What you are reading is an article with a statement read by the dept spokesperson. I'm relatively certain that the State Dept is doing more then just answering a reporter's question.