Myunghee Bae to visit her son, imprisoned in North Korea

Kenneth Bae, an American, was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp in North Korea in November. The North Korean government accused him “hostile acts,” and encouraging citizens to bring down the North Korean government. Since November, Bae has endured a grueling stay in the labor camp. He recently became ill, and his mother, Myunghee Bae, pleaded with North Korea to be able to visit her son. “As a mother, I worry endlessly about his health,” she said. “I want to see him, comfort and hold him in person. I miss him so much.”
Myunghee, who lives in Washington, was granted permission to travel to North Korea, and she will spend five days there with her son. She wants to encourage him to stay strong as he battles through his health issues, which include diabetes, high blood pressure and back problems. Myunghee was able to see her son in a prison interview in July, and she was shocked by how thin and sickly he looked. “My heart was broken into pieces when his prison interview was released on July 3,” she said. “His appearance was very shocking, he looked so different, and he lost so much weight. I could not believe that prisoner was my son.”
Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, told CNN that her brother was moved to a hospital in August, and his whole family, along with U.S. officials, have pleaded with North Korea to release him. Bae’s mother added in her statement: “It’s hard to describe the agony of the past year since my son has been imprisoned in the DPRK. I spend every day thinking about him and praying for his homecoming.”