Relations between North Korea and the United States have worsened after two American reporters were seized and tried after crossing the border from China and North Korea on March 17. The reporters are thought to be pawns in the struggle between the United Nations and North Korea over the country’s nuclear tests. -DB
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
June 8, 2009
By Caitlin Dickson
Two American journalists were sentenced to 12 years hard labor in North Korea Monday after they were detained March 17 by North Korean soldiers while crossing the border between China and North Korea.
According to Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the day before the sentencing that North Korea might be put back on the U.S.’s list of states that condone terrorism, from which it was removed in October.
The United Nations is in the midst of deciding how to punish North Korea for conducting atomic tests in May, which some fear could be the motivation behind the two reporters’ sentencing, according to the Associated Press.
In a comment obtained by Reuters, North Korea’s official newspaper said they would respond with “extreme hard line measures” to sanctions from the U.N. and would consider it a declaration of war.
Copyright 2009 Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press