The White House said Monday that it was "deeply disappointed" that North Korea rescinded its invitation for a U.S. envoy to travel to Pyongyang to discuss the release of an American who is being held in a work camp. The State Department said Monday that North Korea canceled for a second time its invitation for the U.S. envoy on North Korean human rights issues, Bob King, to visit the country to discuss the long-detained American's possible release. "We are deeply disappointed by the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) decision for a second time to rescind its invitation for Ambassador King to travel to Pyongyang to discuss Kenneth Bae's release," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. "The DPRK announced publicly in May of 2013 that it would not use the fate of Kenneth Bae as a political bargaining chip. We remind the DPRK that the U.S.-ROK (Republic of Korea) military exercises are transparent, regularly scheduled, and defense-oriented. These exercises are in no way linked to Mr. Bae's case, and we believe they know that," Carney said. "We again call on the DPRK to grant Mr. Bae special amnesty and immediate release as a humanitarian gesture so that he may reunite with his family and seek medical care. We will continue to work actively to secure Mr. Bae's release," the spokesman said. The United States will remain ready to send King to Pyongyang when North Korea is willing to accept him, Carney said.
