‘Special’ jail for American in N Korea
Few details were available about the development for Kenneth Bae, who was arrested in November. North Korea accuses him of trying to establish an anti-Pyongyang base in the North.
Mr Bae is believed to have told his family in a telephone call that he could not appeal against his sentence and that they should urge Washington to push for his freedom.
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Hide AdThe US administration has called for Mr Bae’s release and human rights group Amnesty International has criticised his lack of access to a lawyer.
There has been no statement from Mr Bae. Pyongyang claims he confessed and did not want an attorney present at sentencing.
The sentencing came during a period of tentative diplomatic moves following weeks of high tension and North Korean threats of nuclear and missile strikes on Washington and Seoul, and outside analysts have said Pyongyang may be using Mr Bae as bait to win diplomatic concessions in the stand-off over its nuclear weapons programme.
North Korea denies such speculation.
Mr Bae is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The others were eventually deported or released without serving out their terms, some after trips to Pyongyang by prominent Americans, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
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Hide AdYoung leader Kim Jong Un, whose regime has made an escalating series of threats, has the power to grant special pardons under the North’s constitution.
Mr Bae is a Washington state resident described as a tour operator based in the Chinese border city of Dalian, who travelled frequently to North Korea to feed orphans.