North Korea U.S. Envoy: Pyongyang Cancels Meeting With American to Negotiate Prisoner Release

Bob King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, was planning on traveling to Pyongyang on Friday to ask for amnesty for an American citizen who had been detained until the North Korean government canceled the trip, according to the Associated Press.

Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after being found guilty of subversion.

"We have sought clarification from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea's formal title) about its decision and have made every effort so that Ambassador King's trip could continue as planned or take place at a later date," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.

"We remain gravely concerned about Mr. Bae's health and we continue to urge the DPRK authorities to grant Mr. Bae special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds," Harf said.

King had emphasized that there was no guarantee that Bae would be released if the meetings had gone on as planned. It has become fairly common for North Korea to exchange detained Americans as a way to get the United States to ease restrictions on their nascent nuclear and missile programs, according to the Associated Press.

Since 2009 there have been at least six Americans who have been held by North Korea. In all other previous cases the U.S. citizens were allowed to return home before their sentences expired, often times shortly after a prominent American visited the country, according to the Associated Press.

The trip may have been canceled because of a military exercise that the United States and South Korea participated in on Aug. 19th, reports the Associated Press.

"The trend for reconciliation and unity has faced a serious challenge due to the reckless nuclear war moves and confrontational racket against the DPRK being kicked up by the US and the South Korean warmongers," the National Peace Committee of Korea said in a statement.

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., represents the area where Bae is from and was very disappointed that the North Koreans chose to cancel the meeting, according to the Associated Press.

"The North Koreans gain nothing from this course reversal," Larsen said. "It is time to let Kenneth come home to his family and get the medical attention he needs."

Real Time Analytics