TOKYO, October 22 (RIA Novosti) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to free US national Jeffrey Fowle, detained in April, after repeated requests by US President Barack Obama, state-controlled Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.
"The First Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong Un has taken these special measures [on Fowle's release], taking into consideration repeated requests by US President Barack Obama," the North Korean agency said.
Fowle, 56 was arrested in May after leaving a Bible in a sailor's club in the North Korean city of Chongjin. He was released on Tuesday and handed over to US officials.
After Fowle's release, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the United States will focus on the release of another two American citizens currently imprisoned in North Korea. Kenneth Bae, an American of Korean origin, was detained in 2012 and received a 15-year sentence the following year for allegedly plotting a religious insurrection in North Korea.
Another US national Matthew Miller was arrested in April after he tore up his North Korean visa, expressing a wish to experience prison life to investigate the human rights situation in the country. Accused of espionage, he was sentenced to 6 years in a labor camp.
