North Korea has sentenced two detained South Koreans suspected of being spies to a life of hard labor. The two men, 61-year-old Kim Kuk Gi and 56-year-old Choe Chun Gi, were arrested by the North last March, where they were accused of spying on the North under orders from South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The North's state radio, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, stated that North Korea's highest court has handed down life sentences under charges of espionage, reports the South's Yonhap News Agency.
"The North's supreme court held a court session for the two South Koreans who were arrested for suspected spying for the United States and the South," the broadcast said. "Kim and Choe were sentenced to hard labor for life on charges of spying."
Despite the North's certainty that the two men were working as spies from the Chinese border city of Dandong, the NIS has expressly denied the accusations, according to Reuters. An NIS official stated that the accusations were "groundless."
In an interview with CNN last month, however, the two men admitted to the North's accusations, stating that they have been working for the NIS for years.
Choe, a businessman working in northern China, stated that he was working as a spy for the NIS for three years before he was caught, while Kim, a missionary, stated that he worked for the NIS for nine years before being caught. He further added that he earned around $500,000 during his years of service.
North Korea has a notorious track record as one of the most repressive regimes in the world, with a justice system infamous for honoring false confessions.
