The mother and sister of the American who is being held in North Korea, are attending President Obama's State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, hoping to raise awareness for their son and brother, Kenneth Bae.
A Christian missionary who was living in China and leading tours to the reclusive republic, Bae entered North Korea as a tourist in 2012. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for alleged anti-government crimes. The White House has repeatedly urged Pyongyang to release Bae.
Myunghee Bae and Terri Chung are guests of Democratic Reps. Rick Larsen of Washington state and Charles Rangel of New York.
In a statement, the family thanked the Congressmen "for their generosity and their willingness to help raise awareness for Kenneth."
The statement also mentioned that Bae's family met with Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday to discuss Kenneth's plight.
"We are grateful for his support, and we appreciate the ongoing efforts of many at the State Department who have been working behind the scenes for the past 15 months to bring Kenneth home," the statement read.
Earlier this month, the family was outraged at statements made by retired basketball star Dennis Rodman while he was visiting North Korea.
In a bizarre, expletive-littered and slightly incoherent interview with CNN, Rodman came close to suggesting that Bae was responsible for his captivity.
Rodman ultimately apologized for his comments regarding Bae, saying he had been drinking and was upset because some of his teammates were leaving under pressure.
The family's statement concluded: "We will not rest until Kenneth is home in the United States. We continue to implore our government to do everything possible to secure Kenneth's freedom."
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After appearance, family 'gravely concerned' about U.S. missionary held in North Korea
