The Obama administration says the North Koreans could free American prisoner Kenneth Bae in a matter of days, reports the Washington Post.
The White House announced just yesterday it was sending US Special Envoy Robert King on Friday to request a pardon for Bae.
The Korean American from Washington state was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and has spent the last 10 months in captivity, longer than any American in recent history in that country.
An unnamed Washington official told the Post that the White House reached out to North Korea shortly after Bae’s conviction, but the Pyongyang regime didn’t begin serious negotiations until two weeks ago.
You can read about some of the behind the scenes dealings and the backdrop under which this all occurred in the Washington Post
