The family of Kenneth Bae, a Lynnwood man who has been held in North Korea for more than a year, issued a statement following the release of Merrill Newman by North Korea.

Newman, an 85-year-old Korean War veteran, was detained by North Korea on Oct. 26  just as he was leaving the country after a 10-day organized tour. Newman was released by the government on Dec. 6.

This is the text of the statement by Bae’s family:

“We are pleased to hear that Mr. Newman was released from DPRK. We have been praying for him and are very happy that his family will have him at the head of their table for the holidays. We believe that our Kenneth should also come home soon. We are thankful for all who are advocating on Kenneth’s behalf and for any ongoing dialogue with the DPRK government. We have faith in our government to bring Kenneth home, and we dearly wish that we will also have joyful holidays with Kenneth.”

Bae was traveling in North Korea in November 2012 when he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. Congressman Rick Larsen said that Bae is no longer working in the prison camp.