In his first media interview since his November arrest, an American imprisoned in North Korea has told a pro-Pyongyang media outlet that he wants the US to "try harder" to help him gain amnesty from a sentence of 15 years of hard labor for alleged crimes against the government.
Kenneth Bae told the Tokyo-based Choson Sinbo in a story published yesterday that he had hoped to be out by today, which is not only Independence Day but his father's 70th birthday. He said he still hopes the US government will help him get released quickly.
Bae, 44, of Lynnwood, Washington, was arrested in the northeastern North Korean region of Rason and was interviewed last week at a North Korean prison where he is serving out his sentence. An American of Korean descent, Bae entered the special economic zone as a tour operator but was convicted in late April of plotting to commit "hostile acts" against the North Korean government.
He was sent in May to what North Korea calls a "special prison." Photos and video of Bae published this week by Choson Sinbo show him with his head shaven and wearing gray overalls bearing the number 103.
Bae said he wakes up at 6 every morning. He then does farm work, planting seeds and weeding, until his labor ends at 6 pm He gets Sundays and holidays off, he told the paper during a June 26 interview.
"People here are very considerate, so I'm not working too hard, but my health is not in the best condition so there are some difficulties," Bae said in a Choson Sinbo video shared with CNN and posted to the paper's Facebook page. It's likely he gave the interview in the presence of North Korean officials.
Choson Sinbo, which caters to Japan's pro-Pyongyang North Korean community, provided an unusual look at Bae's life inside his "special education center" cell. It is 12 square meters and has a wash basin, a desk and a television.
Bae informed his family in April he would not be allowed to appeal his sentence and urged them to lobby Washington to push for amnesty, North Korean officials have told The Associated Press.
"July 4th is my father's 70th birthday. So I was hoping that my problem will be worked out by the end of June," Bae said. "So my hope is that North Korea will forgive and the US will try harder to get me out quickly. I'm asking for their help."
Washington has called for Bae's release. "There is no greater priority for us than the welfare and safety of our US citizens abroad, as I've said many times," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in May.
