Kenneth Bae (bornBae Jun-ho; born August 1, 1968)[5][6][7][8][9] is a South Korean-born AmericanEvangelical Christian missionary.[10][11][12][13] Convicted by North Korea on charges of planning to overthrow thegovernment, he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in April 2013.[1][2] Bae was released on November 8, 2014, along with fellow AmericanMatthew Todd Miller.[14]
In 2016, he founded the NGO named NGI – Nehemiah Global Initiative,[15] whose goals consist of remembering, rescuing, and recovering North Korean refugees and rebuilding their lives in China and South Korea.
Bae met his wife, Lydia, two weeks after starting at theUniversity of Oregon, and got married a year later. They have two children. Bae later moved toDalian, China in 2006, and then toDandong, China, near neighboring North Korea.[16]
As of January 2014, Bae is the father of two children inArizona and of another child inHawaii, ages 17, 22 and 23. Bae also has at least one stepdaughter.[17]
In December 2012,human rights activists inSeoul reported that an American had been held in North Korea for a month.[31] On December 21, 2012, North Korea announced that it had charged an American identified as Bae Jun-ho with "hostile acts against the republic."[3][4] Between January 7 and January 10, formerUN ambassadorBill Richardson was unable to meet Bae and delivered a letter from Bae's son to North Korean authorities.[32]
North Korean media stated Bae was prosecuted with:[33][34][35][36]
Working with evangelical organizationYouth with a Mission (YWAM) and its missionary training center, theUniversity of the Nations; Bae is accused of preaching against the North Korean government in American and South Korean churches.[37]
Planning an anti-North Korean religious coup d'état called "Operation Jericho" (a reference to thebiblical city whose walls were toppled by the sound of theIsraelites' trumpets), which began in the US, South Korea, and China long before Bae traveled to North Korea.[37]
Setting up bases in China for the purpose of toppling the DPRK.
Encouraging North Korean citizens to bring down the government.
On May 14, 2013, he was moved to a special prison.[40] Bae would do eight hours of farm labor a day.[33]
Bae sent hand-written letters to his family claiming that he was going blind and that help was needed.[36] On July 3, 2013, an interview with Bae was released, in which he spoke of health problems includingdiabetes,high blood pressure,fatty liver, and a back problem.[33] When asked if prison life was bearable, he replied: "Yes, people here are very considerate. But my health is not in the best condition, so there are some difficulties. But, everyone here is considerate and generous, and we have doctors here, so I'm getting regular check-ups."[35] ASwedishambassador met with Bae in a hospital in August 2013; his sister reported that he was moved from the camp because of deteriorating health and after losing more than 50 pounds (23 kg).[33][41][42] Bae's mother, Myunghee Bae, arrived in North Korea on October 11 to visit her son for five days.[43][44] She was allowed three visits, totaling six hours.[45] In February 2014, Bae left the hospital and returned to the work camp.[46]
On the day he was sentenced, the United States called for the immediate release of Kenneth Bae on humanitarian grounds.[47] During the2013 Korean crisis, North Korea stated that the reason the country did not invite US officials toPyongyang for Bae's release is that he is not a "political bargaining chip."[48][49]
On July 3, 2013, an interview with Bae was released, in which he begged for forgiveness from his captors and for the United States' help.[35] Despite getting a weekly update from theState Department, Kenneth's family insisted that the United States government wasn't doing a good enough job bringing him back.[36] It was confirmed later in July thatJimmy Carter had no plans to visit North Korea regarding Bae.[50]
On August 13,State Department spokeswomanMarie Harf stated that the United States was "willing to consider a number of different options to secure his release."[51] On August 27, the United States announced that its North Korean human rights envoy,Robert R. King, would travel to Pyongyang and ask for the government to pardon Bae,[52] but three days later North Korea rescinded its invitation.[53] The reason given for the cancellation was that the United States used nuclear-capable bombers in military drills with South Korea.[54]
On November 30, the United States called for the release of Bae andMerrill Newman, an American citizen also being detained who confessed to "indelible crimes" during his service in theKorean War.National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said: "We continue to urge theDPRK authorities to grant [Bae] amnesty and immediate release."[55] American officials talked to relatives of both detainees. On December 7, Newman was released; Marie Harf stated: "We welcome the DPRK's decision to release [Newman]. This positive decision by the DPRK throws into sharper relief the continuing detention of Bae. We call on the DPRK once again to pardon and grant Mr. Bae special amnesty and immediately release him as a humanitarian gesture so that he too can return home to his family."[56]
On January 20, 2014, Bae said in a statement that he had committed a "serious crime" against North Korea, and that the nation does "not abuse human rights." He asked the United States government "to make more active efforts and pay more attention."[57] The United States then offered to sendRobert R. King to North Korea.[58]
On May 10, Rodman promised that he would go to North Korea on August 1 to rescue Bae. Rodman criticized United States PresidentBarack Obama, saying, "We got a black president [who] can't even go talk to [Jong-un] ... Obama can't do anything, I don't know why he won't go talk to him."[62][63] Rodman did not go to North Korea in August,[62] but did go in September 2013. While in Beijing, Rodman said he was visiting North Korea again to create a basketball league there and to fixNorth Korea–United States relations. Rodman declined to discuss Bae.[54][64][65] The same month, Rodman returned from China[66] and lost his temper when he was asked questions about Bae, saying that Bae was not his responsibility.[67]
On January 7, 2014, while in North Korea, Rodman was asked if he would raise the issue of Kenneth Bae during aCNN interview. He became agitated and said, "Kenneth Bae did one thing ... If you understand what Kenneth Bae did. Do you understand what he did in this country? No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why? ... I would love to speak on this."[68][69] The next day, Bae's sister said of Rodman's comments, "There is no diplomacy, only games, and at my brother's expense."[70] Rodman apologized for his comments about Kenneth Bae on January 9, 2014, saying he had been drinking and was stressed when he made the remarks.[71][72]
Kenneth Bae would later credit Dennis Rodman with his early release, saying that Rodman's rant raised awareness of his case and that he wished to personally thank him.[73]
Bae was released by North Korean authorities on Saturday, November 8, 2014 along with fellow AmericanMatthew Todd Miller.[14] In 2016, Bae published a book about his ordeal:Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea.[74]
In 2017, Bae decided to fund a NGO to help North Korean refugees and raise the awareness of people around the world about the situation in North Korea.[75]
^abcdeBae, Kenneth (2016).Not forgotten : the true story of my imprisonment in North Korea. Mark A. Tabb. Nashville, Tennessee.ISBN978-0-7180-7963-5.OCLC948564418.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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