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| North Korea sentences US citizen to 15 years' hard labour | North Korea sentences US citizen to 15 years' hard labour |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| North Korea says it has sentenced a US citizen to 15 years of hard labour. | North Korea says it has sentenced a US citizen to 15 years of hard labour. |
| The announcement, from state news agency KCNA, said Pae Jun-ho, known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was tried on 30 April. | The announcement, from state news agency KCNA, said Pae Jun-ho, known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was tried on 30 April. |
| He was held last year after entering North Korea as a tourist. Pyongyang said he was accused of anti-government crimes. | He was held last year after entering North Korea as a tourist. Pyongyang said he was accused of anti-government crimes. |
| The move comes amid high tensions between North Korea and the US, after Pyongyang's third nuclear test. | The move comes amid high tensions between North Korea and the US, after Pyongyang's third nuclear test. |
| North Korean media said last week that Mr Pae had admitted charges of crimes against North Korea, including attempting to overthrow the government. | |
| "The Supreme Court sentenced him to 15 years of compulsory labour for this crime," KCNA said. | |
| Mr Pae, 44, was arrested in November as he entered the northeastern port city of Rason, a special economic zone near North Korea's border with China. | |
| Mr Pae is believed to be a tour operator of Korean descent. He is the sixth US citizen to be detained in North Korea since 2009. | |
| "The welfare of US citizens is a critical and top priority for this department. We call on the DPRK [North Korea] to release Kenneth Bae immediately on humanitarian grounds," US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Monday. | |
| Journalists and Christians accused of seeking to convert others are among the other Americans to have been arrested in the past. | |
| They were released after intervention from high-profile American figures, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. | |
| In 2009, Mr Clinton negotiated the release of two US journalists accused of entering North Korea illegally, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. |