WH: Release of detained Americans in North Korea a ‘top priority’

The White House said Tuesday that securing the release of three Americans detained in North Korea is a “top priority” for the administration.

“Securing the release of U.S. citizens is a top priority, and we’ve followed these cases closely here in the White House,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. “We continue to do all we can to secure their earliest possible release.”

{mosads}Over the weekend, the Associated Press and CNN were allowed to interview a trio of American prisoners being held by Pyongyang. 

They included Jeffrey Fowle and Mathew Miller, who were detained by North Korea for alleged “hostile acts” as tourists, and Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary and tour guide who has already been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

The three men told American journalists they hoped the U.S. would send a special envoy to negotiate for their release. Former President Bill Clinton has previously made trips to North Korea to help secure the release of American detainees.

“I’m good for the time being, but I need to let people know that I’m getting desperate, I’m getting desperate for help,” Fowle told the Associated Press.

The White House would not confirm reports that two senior administration officials had secretly visited North Korea in 2012 in a bid to make inroads with leader Kim Jong Un. 

But Earnest did acknowledge that the U.S. used diplomatic backchannels to push for the release of prisoners.

“We have a couple of private — a couple of channels that we use to negotiate with the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] that are — the Swedish government will occasionally represent American interests before the North Korean government,” Earnest said. “There also is a liaison at the DPRK mission in New York, where we will occasionally communicate.”