The North Korean supreme court has sentenced an American university student to 15 years of hard labor for crimes against the state. The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Otto Warmbier, who was detained in Pyongyang two months ago while visiting as a tourist, was sentenced on Wednesday. It said he confessed to having committed a hostile act, following the US government's hostile policy towards the North.
State-run media say Warmbier admitted at a news conference in Pyongyang last month that he tried to steal an item bearing a political slogan from his hotel in the capital city. North Korea has also detained three South Korean men and a SoKor-Canadian male for alleged espionage. All four have been sentenced to hard labor. CNN also reported that a SoKor-American man was detained as well.
Observers of North Korea say Pyongyang's using the detainees as bargaining chips to combat new international sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests.
Source: NHK World
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