The North Korean Supreme Court has sentenced a Korean-American to 10 years of hard labor for subversion.
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Kim Dong-chul, of Korean origin and used to live in Virginia, was found guilty at a short trial in Pyongyang, while details of the alleged espionage were not immediately available.
A source in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang told the Reuters news agency that diplomats were notified in the morning of the confession and Kim’s comments were similar to the recent confession of another American being held there, Otto Warmbier.
The U.S. State Department declined formal comment, citing privacy issues, but a State Department official, who did not want to be identified, said the United States was aware of media reports of the sentencing.
According to the prosecutor, Kim was running a trade company in Rason, a special economic zone in the DPRK.
He said the military believes North Korea has finished preparations for a fifth nuclear test.
Kim’s sentencing came as North Korea also accused USA soldiers of trying to provoke its frontline troops with “disgusting” facial expressions and by encouraging South Korean soldiers to aim their guns at the North. A North Korean military statement warned US soldiers to stop what it called “hooliganism” at the border village of Panmunjom or meet a “dog’s death any time and any place”.
According to CNN, Kim had spied in behalf of the South Korean conservative elements regarding the North’s nuclear and military program.
USA spy chief James Clapper went over in November 2014 to bring back Mathew Miller, who was also arrested as a tourist, and Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American who had been in jail since November 2012.
Since its first nuclear test last January, North Korea has intensified its pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missiles.
In 2009 a visit from former president Bill Clinton secured the freedom of American journalist Euna Lee and Laura Ling who had crossed the border into North Korea from China illegally.
In New York, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “these types of actions by the DPRK are extremely troubling and we would yet again encourage the DPRK to cease any further provocations and return to compliance with its full global obligations”.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that North Korea attempted two missile launches that did not pose a threat to North America.
The isolated country has ran a series of missile launchings ahead of the Workers’ Party congress which starts on May 6th in breach of United Nations resolutions.
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Follow a failed launch of the same missile, and Thursday’s evaluations looked to have been dashed, based on a defence specialist in Seoul before this month.
