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North Korea Is Expected To Indict An American | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
SEOUL, South Korea — An American tour operator is facing indictment in North Korea on charges that he tried to overthrow the government there, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday. | |
The announcement could complicate Washington’s difficult diplomatic balancing act as it tries to hold a tough line with North Korea over its nuclear program while avoiding any confrontations that could lead to an armed conflict. | |
The tour operator, Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American from Washington State, traveled with a group of businessmen in November from Yanji, China, to the North Korean special economic zone of Rason, where he was arrested. The news report on Saturday said that the North had already finished its investigation and that Mr. Bae had admitted his guilt to charges that could draw the death penalty. | |
North Korea, a police state, has often used the plight of detained Americans as a bargaining chip in its dealings with Washington. Some were freed only after former American presidents traveled to the North. Mr. Bae is the sixth American detained by North Korea since 2009, but he is facing the gravest charges. | |
In January, Bill Richardson, a former American ambassador to the United Nations, tried to see Mr. Bae during a private trip to the North, but he said he was rebuffed by the government. | |
In its announcement, the Korean Central News Agency said that Mr. Bae had “admitted his criminal plot to overthrow our republic out of hostility.” It added that his crime had been “clearly substantiated by evidence.” | |
The maximum punishment for such a crime is death. The Associated Press, which has a bureau in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, previously quoted a North Korean official as saying that Mr. Bae possibly faced the death penalty. | |
The Korean Central News Agency did not say when Mr. Bae’s trial would begin. Under North Korea’s criminal code, prosecutors are required to file a formal indictment within 10 days of the completion of an investigation. A court then rules on the case within 25 days. | |
North Korea indicated on Saturday that Mr. Bae would not be allowed to appeal, if convicted, because his case is being handled directly by the supreme court. | |
In December, when North Korea officially confirmed Mr. Bae’s detention, it said he had been arrested on charges of committing “hostile acts” against the North, a lesser crime than plotting to overthrow the government. | |
Some foreign businessmen and tourists are allowed to visit the impoverished country, which is trying to lure investment and bring in hard currency. | |
In 2009, North Korea arrested two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who it said had entered the country illegally and committed “hostile acts.” They were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, but were released five months later, after former President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang and met with Kim Jong-il, the leader at the time. | |
In 2010, another American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, was arrested and sentenced to eight years of hard labor for illegal entry and “hostile acts.” He was freed when former President Jimmy Carter visited Pyongyang. |