North Korea has released American missionary Kenneth Bae, who his family said had been imprisoned for his Christian faith, along with fellow US citizen Matthew Todd Miller. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) confirmed that Bae and Miller are on their way back to the United States. Kenneth Bae, 45, had been held since 2012. He was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour on charges of trying ‘to overthrow’ the state. However family members linked the detention of the Korean-American to his Christian work in a nation where devoted Christians are forced to meet underground. Many thousands of Christians are believed to be among those held in prison camps, according to several advocacy groups and other sources. Fellow prisoner Todd, 24, was detained in April after he tore his tourist visa to pieces and shouted that he had come ‘to the DPRK after choosing it as a shelter,’ North Korea said at the time.