A support group for Robert Chaegon Kim said Wednesday that the former American naval intelligence officer, currently behind bars for spying for South Korea, will be moved to a prison near his house in the United States in January next year before being released on parole.

In a breakfast meeting to pray for Kim's early release, Lee Woong-jin, the head of the group, said, "We've received a letter from Robert Kim to the effect that he will be transferred to the Winchester Prison near his house in Kentucky."

Lee also quoted Kim as saying he may be released on parole soon thereafter, due mainly to his old age and good behavior, on the condition he carries an electronic device to let prison authorities know his whereabouts.

According to Lee, In the letter, Kim denounced U.S. attorneys for indicting him after he raised suspicions over irregularities involving the U.S. government's procurement of military supplies.

Lee said his group has raised over 50 million won (US$43,300) in donations for Kim over the past several months.

Kim, a former officer with the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1996 for providing intelligence on North Korea to Baek Dong-il, then a military attache for South Korea's diplomatic mission in Washington.

Kim rejected the charge of collaboration in espionage, claiming he never conspired with anyone to deliver the information.