PYONGYANG, North Korea, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Nearly a week after allowing Western media to interview detained Americans, North Korea announced a trial date of September 14 for Matthew Miller, one of the three prisoners.
In June, North Korean state media announced an investigation and pending trial against both Miller and Jeffrey Fowle, another of the prisoners, for "perpetrating hostile acts after entering the territory of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]."
Fowle was accused of leaving a Bible in a nightclub, and Miller is said to have torn up his visa in an airport and declared that he wanted asylum. Both men have been held since they arrived in North Korea in April. A third prisoner, a Korean-American missionary, has been detained since 2012.
North Korean state media announced a September 14 trial for Miller, a short time after Pyongyang gave reporters from CNN and the Associated Press unprecedented access to the three men for interviews earlier this month.
"I think this interview is my final chance to push the American government into helping me," Miller said during the interview.
White House National Security Council spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement, "Securing the release of U.S. citizens is a top priority, and we have followed these cases closely in the White House. We continue to do all we can to secure their earliest possible release."
