Three Americans detained in North Korea spoke out about their conditions and pleaded for U.S. help in interviews with CNN.
Kenneth Bae, Matthew Todd Miller and Jeffrey Edward Fowle met with CNN's Will Ripley at a Pyongyang hotel Monday. Each was given five minutes for an interview.
All three men said they hope the U.S. government will send an envoy to North Korea to help get them out of their situations, similar to how former President Bill Clinton helped secure the release of two journalists in 2009.
Bae, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for "hostile acts to bring down its government," said he is working eight hours a day, six days a week at a labor camp.
Despite what he called "hard labor," Bae said he has been treated "as humanely as possible."
North Korea claimed Bae was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime.
Miller, who is accused of tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum upon entry, implored the U.S. government for help during his interview.
He said he wanted to tell the United States that "my situation is very urgent, that very soon I am going to trial, and I would directly be sent to prison."
He said he will not learn of his charges until he goes to trial.
And Fowle, an American tourist accused of leaving a Bible in a hotel where he was staying, said he has "no complaints" about his treatment.
"It's been very good so far, and I hope and pray that it continues, while I'm here two more days or two more decades," he said.
All three men said they have signed statements admitting their guilt. North Korean officials monitored and recorded all three interviews, and CNN was unable to assess independently the conditions under which the men were being held.
SOURCE: CNN
