2008 : The Rev . Jesse Jackson has offered to go to Pyongyang . Ambassador Robert King was scheduled to visit and discuss Bae 's case . North Korea has held Bae , a Korean - American , since November 2008 . Annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises , which anger Pyongyang , began later this year .
NEW : The Rev . Jesse Jackson has offered to go to Pyongyang . Ambassador Robert King was scheduled to visit and discuss Bae 's case . North Korea has held Bae , a Korean-American , since November 2012 . Annual U.S.-South Korean military drills , which anger Pyongyang , begin later this month .