The White House just announced that the special envoy for North Korea, Ambassador Robert King, will visit North Korea.
“Today the State Department announced that the President’s Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, Ambassador Robert King, will be adding a stop in North Korea to his current travels in the region. We remain deeply concerned about the health and welfare of Kenneth Bae, the American citizen currently detained in North Korea. We urge the government of North Korea to grant special clemency to Mr. Bae immediately and allow him to return home with Ambassador King,” the White House statement from the press secretary reads.
UPDATE: The State Department has now released its statement:
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 27, 2013
At the invitation of the D.P.R.K. government, Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Ambassador Robert King will travel to Pyongyang August 30 on a humanitarian mission focused on securing the release of U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae.
Mr. Bae was arrested in the D.P.R.K. in November 2012 and was convicted April 30 by the D.P.R.K. Supreme Court of committing hostile acts against North Korea. As the U.S. Government has on a number of occasions since the April 30verdict, Ambassador King will request the D.P.R.K. pardon Mr. Bae and grant him special amnesty on humanitarian grounds so that he can be reunited with his family and seek medical treatment.
