Former President Jimmy Carter is reportedly going to North Korea in a bid to free imprisoned Korean American Kenneth Bae, according to the Voice of America.
Bae who has been in a North Korean prison longer than any other American before him has been in custody since November.
Despite the numerous reports, a spokeswoman for the former President declined to confirm the trip. She said Mister Carter was in Bogota and had no “immediate” plans to go.
The White House said Carter’s trip would be in a “personal capacity,” but later backtracked and said it was not confirming the trip.
The reports originally surfaced in the South Korean media about the planned mission.
Bae’s family lives in Washington state and has organized a petition drive on change.org urging the U.S. government to do more to win Bae’s release. So far about 5600 people have signed the petition. The family did not have any comments about Carter’s reported planned trip.
