Kenneth Bae Faces More North Korean Hard Labor Despite Poor Health

Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen and evangelical missionary, has been a prisoner of North Korea for almost two years. He has recently received treatment for his medical conditions, fatty liver, high blood pressure, problems with his lungs, just to name a few. Sadly, he now faces a return to the hard labor camps, where death is a common feature.

Mr. Bae was first captured by officials in November 2012 while leading a trip to the North Korean town of Rason, a trip he had made numerous times before. In May 2013, he was tried and convicted of “hostile acts” against the regime.

Many of the charges levied against Kenneth Bae were related to his faith as an evangelical Christian. Bae was accused of planning a religious coup called “Operation Jericho” and of preaching against North Korea in churches in the U.S. and South Korea. For those crimes, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

Torture and starvation are common place in North Korea’s labor camps, according to a UN report, camps the reclusive country refuses to acknowledge even exist. Kenneth Bae was held in a special prison, where his farm labor was limited to eight hours a day, but he still reported that the conditions were causing him to go blind. In letters to his family, he asked for help and eventually received treatment.

Now approaching two years after his capture, Kenneth Bae continues to seek help in his desperate situation. U.S. officials have made several attempts to rescue Bae, including what has been called “basketball diplomacy” by Dennis Rodman. Nevertheless, Kenneth seems no closer to release.

Kenneth’s sister, Terri Chung, is thankful for the efforts made on Kenneth’s behalf, but is still frustrated.

“We’re told (the U.S. Department of State is) working things behind the scenes and we believe that, but we respectfully request those efforts be increased. We don’t think his body can take it, this yoyo-ing from prison to hospitalization for several months.”

Kenneth Bae’s plight has hit social media as well. The hashtag #bringBaeback on Twitter has thousands of followers who have been posting constant updates on the well-being of Kenneth and his family. What future plans the U.S. has to free Kenneth Bae are still unclear, according to Chung:

“It’s hard to know for sure what the State Department is planning to do to help him, but whatever it is, it needs to be now. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

[Image Credit: Kyodo/Reuters]