North Korea (MNN) - Voice of the Martyrs has launched a worldwide campaign to free Son Jong Nam, a former North Korean army officer awaiting public execution for being a Christian.

VOM's Todd Nettleton says this is an unusual situation. "It's actually fairly rare to have a name and a face about a North Korean prisoner because the country is so closed. Since we did have that specific information, in this case, we want to use this to draw attention not only to this case, but to the overall situation for Christians in North Korea."

Nam has been behind bars for a year and has been sentenced to public execution as an example to the North Korean people. His brother, Son Jong Hoon, made a public plea Thursday before the National Press Club in Washington D. C.

Their voices are joined by U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback, a noted supporter of human rights for North Korean refugees. Brownback sent letters [also signed by Senators Max Baucus (D) and Richard Durbin (D) and Senators Jim Inhofe (R) and David Vitter (R)] last week to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking them to secure Nam's release.

Nettleton says they're asking people to write letters and send emails on Son Jong Nam's behalf which will then be mailed to the North Korean delegation to the UN. Along with those letters, the group is asking the North Korean government to spare Son's life, release him from prison immediately, report on his current statu,s and deliver the personal letters to Son.

According to VOM, Son defected to China in 1998 with his wife, son, and brother. His wife died after arriving there. It was in China that he met a South Korean missionary and became a Christian. Mr. Son continued his religious studies and felt called to be an evangelist in North Korea.

However, Son was arrested by Chinese police in 2001, sent back to North Korea, charged and imprisoned with sending missionaries into his native country. He was paroled briefly in 2004 and went to China. When he returned to North Korea in January 2006, he was arrested again and has remained in prison since.

While it's an uncomfortable story, it's also a message of hope for the embattled church. Nettleton says the response can let other believers know they haven't been forgotten. He urges people to take Nam and others like him before the Lord. "Pray for this prisoner, for Son Jong Nam. Pray for his encouragement. Pray for his health. We know that North Korean jails are not safe places. I think we can also pray that he would have opportunities to share his faith even while he is in prison."