Friday 7 February 2014

American held captive in N. Korea


Kenneth Bae's sister, Terri Chung, joins CNN Saturday at 5 p.m. ET to share details about a new push to free her brother.


(CNN) -- American Kenneth Bae, who is being held in North Korea, has been moved from a hospital to a labor camp, the State Department said on Friday.


Agency spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that the United States was "deeply concerned" by the development.


"We also remain gravely concerned about Mr. Bae's health" and again urged Pyongyang to grant him "special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds," she said.


Bae, of Lynwood, Washington, was arrested in November 2012 in Rason, along North Korea's northeastern coast.


A devout Christian and father of three operated a China-based company specializing in tours of North Korea, according to his family and freekennow.com, a website that friends set up to promote his release.


The North Korean government accused Bae of planning to bring down the government through religious activities.


Last month, he told reporters that he had committed a "serious crime" in the secretive nation and that he had not experienced abusive treatment by the regime.


Any statement by Bae in captivity would be sanctioned by the North Korean government.



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