Motive Entertainment organizing outreach to equip educators, cultural leaders, and faith leaders to address the issues raised by terrorist attack

NORTH KOREA (ANS) -- In an unprecedented move, family and activists have called upon the international community to intervene to abort the execution of a named North Korean man, Mr Son Jong Nam.

According to a media release, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has joined with multiple agencies that protested today outside the government complex in South Korea in calling for "efforts to rescue Son Jong Nam, who has been sentenced to public execution."

The appeal comes after Mr Son’s brother, Son Jong Hoon, received information via a relative. He reported: "My brother is sentenced to public execution and even family members cannot visit him."

CSW says this is the first time that an appeal has been issued to prevent the known execution of a named individual in North Korea from taking place. Five North Korean defector organizations working for human rights in North Korea issued a joint statement on April 4 urging for intervention to stop the planned execution. They have now broadened their activities to ask the international community to intervene to raise the case.

The joint agency statement reports that Mr Son (48) is imprisoned in the basement of the National Security Agency in Pyongyang and is "practically dead from horrible torture."

CSW reports that Mr Son is accused of betraying his country and sharing information with South Koreans.

"It is believed the charges are grounded in his visit to China where he met with his brother and spoke about life in North Korea and, possibly, in his connection to Christianity. He had also received financial assistance for his survival from his brother," CSW states.

At a press conference reported by The Daily NK, his brother, Son Jong Hoon (43), stated: "In China, I only talked to him about how my siblings were doing and what North Koreans think of the Kim Jong Il regime. He shouldn’t be executed for the crime of betrayal or espionage. His execution needs to be stopped."

CSW says Mr Son defected from North Korea in 1997 with his wife, son and brother. He attended Church in China and became a Christian – a serious crime in North Korea. While his brother was successful in reaching South Korea in 2002, Son Jong Nam was repatriated in April 2001 and imprisoned for three years in the Ham-Gyung-Buk area prison camp in North Korea. He was released on parole in May 2004 after the intervention of influential contacts. He was expelled to Chongjin where he worked at a rocket research institute.

The CSW report continues: "In May 2004 Mr Son was able to meet his brother in China and return to North Korea. However the individual in Musan who helped him travel to China informed on him to the Musan National Security Agency. The National Security Office in Musan asked their colleagues in Pyongyang to arrest Mr Son and he was taken in by the secret police in January 2006 as he was leaving his younger sister’s house in Pyongyang. Those close to him have been exiled from Pyongyang.