WASHINGTON (BNO NEWS) -- The family of an American detained in North Korea has released an open letter to plead for his release amid reports of his ill health, CNN reported on Wednesday.

"We write to plead for the humanitarian release of Eddie Yong Su Jun, our loving father and husband, who has been detained by the DPRK since November 2010," says the letter, thought to be the first communication from his family to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We have recently received worrisome news that he has been hospitalized, and we are grateful to the DPRK for supplying him with medical attention. However, we remain extremely concerned about his sensitive health condition."

North Korea confirmed earlier this month that Jun was arrested for "committing a crime against (North Korea) after entering it." Two State Department officials told CNN also earlier this month that the man is a Korean-American businessman, and one said he had a visa to enter North Korea. They added that since the two nations do not have diplomatic relations, the State Department is working through the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang in hopes of securing Jun's release.

Former President Jimmy Carter arrived in North Korea on Tuesday as part of the latest diplomatic effort to restart talks between North and South Korea. In 2010, Carter helped secure the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to eight years of hard labor for crossing over the Chinese border into North Korea.

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