U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday his administration will make every effort to win the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American man imprisoned in North Korea.

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama noted Bae, a Christian missionary, has been held for 15 months.

“His family wants him home, and the United States will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release, because Kenneth Bae deserves to be free,” Obama said.

It is the first time that the president directly mentioned Bae.

The State Department has already offered to send Amb. Robert King, special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, to Pyongyang for negotiations on Bae’s release. Reportedly, however, Pyongyang has been unresponsive.

The department said it remains “engaged” in efforts to dispatch the envoy there. (Yonhap)