Lynnwood man held in North Korea for a month

BY Tim Haeck  on December 13, 2012 @ 7:40 am (Updated: 8:02 am - 12/13/12 )

Diplomatic efforts are underway to free a Lynnwood, Wash. man held for more than a month in North Korea.

A newspaper in South Korea first reported the detention of tour operator Kenneth Bae. The Snohomish County man was leading a five-day excursion to the North when he was arrested at the Rajin border crossing in early November.

South Korea's Yonhap News reports that one of the members of Bae's tour group was supposedly carrying sensitive information on a computer disk.

Best information suffests Bae is not being mistreated.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman says that the U.S. is aware of the situation, telling CNN, "We obviously have no higher priority than the welfare of our citizens."

Since the U.S. has no representation in Pyongyan, North Korea, the Swedish government is working to get Bae released.

Tim Haeck, KIRO Radio Reporter
Tim Haeck is a news reporter with KIRO Radio. While Tim is one of our go-to, no-nonsense reporters, he also has a sensationally dry sense of humor and it will surprise some to learn he is a weekend warrior.
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