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               N. Korea Sentences American to 15 Years Hard Labor

   by VOA News

   North Korea says it has sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of
   hard labor after finding him guilty of committing what it says are
   "hostile acts" against the state.
   The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Pae Jun-ho,
   known as Kenneth Bae in the United States, was convicted by the
   country's supreme court, Tuesday.
   North Korea previously said he confessed to committing crimes aimed at
   overthrowing the government. But it has not specified the exact nature
   of those alleged crimes.
   The 44-year-old was arrested in November in the northeastern port city
   of Rason, which lies in a special economic zone near the border with
   Russia and China.
   VOA has learned that Bae was as a Korean-American tour operator who may
   have been arrested after being found with a computer that carried
   sensitive or controversial information.
   Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department called for North Korea to
   release Bae on humanitarian grounds, saying the welfare of American
   citizens is a "critical and top priority."
   In December, VOA's Korean Service was told by sources familiar with the
   matter that Bae was a tour guide operating his own company. They say he
   was detained for possessing photos of hungry North Korean children
   begging for food.
   The Citizen's Coalition for the Human Rights for North Korean Refugees,
   a human rights group, also told VOA that Bae did charity work and
   provided assistance for North Korean orphans.
   North Korea has detained several Americans in recent years, mostly
   journalists or Christians accused of proselytizing.
   In 2009, two television journalists were detained and sentenced to 12
   years of hard labor after crossing into the North from China. Former
   U.S. President Bill Clinton later traveled to North Korea to win their
   release.
   In 2010, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter negotiated the release of
   U.S. national Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who was sentenced to eight years of
   hard labor after illegally crossing the border from China.
   Another U.S. delegation in 2011 helped secure the release of Eddie Jun
   Yong-su, a businessman who was jailed after allegedly conducting
   missionary-related activities.
   The North Korean announcement comes at a time of increased tensions on
   the Korean peninsula. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has threatened attacks
   against South Korea and the U.S. in response to expanded sanctions
   against its latest nuclear test.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/nkorea-sentences-american-to-15-years
   -hard-labor/1652935.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/nkorea-sentences-american-to-15-years-hard-labor/1652935.html