Seoul, April 07: North Korea has sentenced an American national to eight years of hard labor on charges of illegally entering the country.
The verdict was issued after the man, named Aijalon Mali Gomes, admitted his wrongdoing at a criminal court, the official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday.
He was also fined 70 million won ($700,000) for his action.
Swedish diplomats representing US interests in Pyongyang attended the trial.
30-year-old Gomes, from Boston, had been an English teacher in South Korea.
He was immediately arrested after crossing the border from China on January 25. It is yet not clear why he entered the North.
The arrest came a month after the country detained another US citizen, named Robert Park, for trespassing.
The alleged missionary was released only a month later in February.
Despite the heavy jail sentence, analysts believe Gomes could also be freed soon.
———Agencies