North Korea threatens US prisoners, warns former detainee Kenneth Bae to stop 'babbling'
North Korea said it will not continue negotiations with the U.S. regarding two American prisoners until former detainee Kenneth Bae stops talking about his prison experience.
"As long as Kenneth Bae continues his babbling, we will not proceed with any compromise or negotiations with the United States on the subject of American criminals, and there will certainly not be any such thing as humanitarian action," the state-run news agency KCNA reported, according to Reuters.
North Korea added that if Bae would keep disclosing information about his time in prison, the American detainees will not be able to set foot in the U.S. ever again.
There are two U.S. citizens being held in prison in North Korea. One is 21-year-old Otto Warmbier, who was caught stealing a propaganda banner for Kim Jong II. He was sentenced in March to 15 years of hard labor.
The other one is Kim Dong Chul, a Korean-American missionary who was convicted of spying and stealing military secrets. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor.
Authorities believe many prisoners held in North Korea are forced to publicly confess to crimes they have not committed.
Bae, an American missionary who ran a tour company in North Korea, was arrested in 2012 for committing crimes against the state and encouraging others to do the same. He was sentenced in 2013 to 15 years of hard labor. Two years later, he was released.
Bae wrote a memoir entitled "Not Forgotten," in which he described his detention in North Korea. Bae wrote that he was sent to a labor camp and was watched closely by 30 guards specifically assigned to him alone. He said North Korean authorities believed he was trying to overthrow the government by worshipping Christ.
Bae has spoken at many public events where he talked about his detention in North Korea. He said that as a U.S. citizen, he became a "negotiating tool" that North Koreans were able to use. He also said some North Koreans have been "brainwashed," Reuters reported.
