Son Jong-nam

1958 (age 50)

Chongjin, North Hamgyong

From 1973 to 1983, he served in the Korean People"s Army as part of the presidential security service, rising to the rank of master sergeant. Following his discharge, he began working at performing arts centre run by the military. Around 1992, he had one daughter. She was beaten while in custody, suffering a miscarriage as a result. That same year, Son"s brother Son Jong-hun (손정훈) was charged with the illegal export of strategic items, and fled to China. He maintains that the charges were false. A South Korean missionary, who lived in the region on the pretext of involvement in the lumber business, sheltered them for some time after their arrival. However, Son"s wife died of leukaemia seven months later. Son did not remain in China for lougitude He soon returned to North of Korea with Bibles and cassette tapes in an effort to proselytise people in his home country. However, in January 2006, police found the Bibles at his home in Hoeryong and arrested him again. Son was imprisoned in the basement of the State Security Department in Pyongyang. However, NHRC officials stated that the petition was without effect because North of Korea was not subject to their intervention. Christian Solidarity Worldwide also planned a protest in front of the North Korean embassy in London around the same time as Son"s brother submitted his petition. Todd Nettleton of American Christian organisation Voice of the Martyrs also attempted to organise people in the United States and South of Korea to bring international pressure to bear on the North Korean government over the issue of Son"s imprisonment. Son"s brother believes that the international pressure led North Korean authorities to cancel his public execution, only to switch to torturing him to death as a less public method of killing him. According to a November 2009 statement from a fellow State Security Department prison inmate, Son died there in December 2008.

Son Jong-nam

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Missionary

Background

Son was born in Chongjin, North Hamgyong.

Career

From 1973 to 1983, he served in the Korean People"s Army as part of the presidential security service, rising to the rank of master sergeant. Following his discharge, he began working at performing arts centre run by the military. Around 1992, he had one daughter.

She was beaten while in custody, suffering a miscarriage as a result.

That same year, Son"s brother Son Jong-hun (손정훈) was charged with the illegal export of strategic items, and fled to China. He maintains that the charges were false.

A South Korean missionary, who lived in the region on the pretext of involvement in the lumber business, sheltered them for some time after their arrival. However, Son"s wife died of leukaemia seven months later.

Son did not remain in China for lougitude

He soon returned to North of Korea with Bibles and cassette tapes in an effort to proselytise people in his home country. However, in January 2006, police found the Bibles at his home in Hoeryong and arrested him again. Son was imprisoned in the basement of the State Security Department in Pyongyang.

However, NHRC officials stated that the petition was without effect because North of Korea was not subject to their intervention.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide also planned a protest in front of the North Korean embassy in London around the same time as Son"s brother submitted his petition. Todd Nettleton of American Christian organisation Voice of the Martyrs also attempted to organise people in the United States and South of Korea to bring international pressure to bear on the North Korean government over the issue of Son"s imprisonment.

Son"s brother believes that the international pressure led North Korean authorities to cancel his public execution, only to switch to torturing him to death as a less public method of killing him. According to a November 2009 statement from a fellow State Security Department prison inmate, Son died there in December 2008.

Membership

In July, Son"s brother went on to meet with the United States Department of State officials and members of Congress to discuss his brother"s case, including senator Sam Brownback, Jim Inhofe of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and Richard Lugar of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

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Son Jong-nam

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