To those who know Kenneth Bae, he is the larger-than-life kind of guy who loved to rock the Miami Vice look, the white blazer with the sleeves pushed up and gelled hairstyle, back in the ‘80s. He is the guy who is always surrounded by friends, hosting homemade meals and regaling everyone with hilarious tales and his renditions of Elvis Presley tunes. He is the fun-loving uncle who showers his nieces with affection and chases them all over the Edmonds-Kingston ferry during family outings.

Kenneth is the guy who always does the right thing, no matter the cost. He is the guy who dropped out of college at the age of 22 to support his own young family. He is the guy who would come home late from working two jobs and just spend hours watching his baby son sleep.

He is the guy who follows his personal convictions, even to the ends of the world.

Several years ago, Kenneth saw an opportunity that combined his entrepreneurial spirit with his personal convictions as a Christian. He believed in showing compassion to the North Korean people by contributing to their economy in the form of tourism. Based out of China since 2006, he started his own tour company specializing in tours to North Korea, a remote country filled with stunning vistas and a people proud of their history and tradition. His livelihood was to introduce the natural beauty of the country and its people to the outside world as a tour operator. His heart was to be a personal touch-point of compassionate humanity to the North Korean people.

On November 3, 2012, North Korean authorities arrested Kenneth while he was leading a tourist group on one of his regular routine trips—a tour he had led at least over 15 times before—in Rason (Rajin-Sonbong), one of North Korea’s special economic zones for foreign investors.

In April 2013, he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. He was released on Saturday, November 8, 2014 along with fellow American Matthew Todd Miller.

Human Rights, Korean, North Korea, World Affairs