The son of an American citizen being held in North Korea for unspecified charges against the state is pleading with the President Obama to win amnesty for his father.
Jonathan Bae is the son of Kenneth Bae, a Korean American from the Seattle area who was arrested in November while leading a tour of one of North Korea’s special economic zones for foreign investors.
“My father is a good man with the biggest heart for the people and nation of North Korea, and now he has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for what the DPRK identified as anti-government activities,” wrote Jonathan in a petition on Change.org.
In his petition to President Obama, Bae is asking for the President to “pursue every course of possible action, without delay, to secure Special Amnesty for my father and allow him to come home to his family and friends.”
Jonathan is especially concerned after seeing a video of his father released by the North Korean media.
“My family was shocked to see him! He had lost a significant amount of weight, and his time in prison has clearly taken a toll on his health—and this was only two months into his 15-year sentence… We don’t know how quickly his health will deteriorate and how much longer his body can withstand the impact of the labor camp.”
The arrest of Kenneth Bae has received only a small amount of media attention and a surprising lack of attention from both the Asian American community and Korean American community.
You can sign the petition urging President Obama to work to win Bae’s release on Change.org.
